Destiny Reveled
by LaneIA
Summary: Sequel to Prophet's Destiny. Rachel has a secret. Colby is confused as why she has resigned and dropped out of touch. The Prophet is still at large. Can the team hold it together?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimers: I own nothing, Numb3rs is own by a lot of very famous/rich/lucky people who had better make this whole Janus List thing go far far away!

This is a sequel for The Prophet's Destiny. My AU story based on 9 Wives. You will really want to read it (M rating for some adult situations in one chapter) so that everything will make sense to you.

I also want to let you know that I'll never believe that Colby is a spy, there has to be a deeper plot. I refuse to believe that everything we knew about him would be a lie! I was one of those people who watched the finale and felt like we had been betrayed as well.

So, I will always keep "MY COLBY" as the all-American guy we've come to know and love. Hopefully the writers for the show will do the same.

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Colby stalked across the office, his face stony. Once he reached his desk he sat down heavily. The clock on the far wall showed that the morning was only half over. Flipping open a file, he started reading furiously.

"Damn it Colby! What the hell is wrong with you?" David had walked over to Colby's desk. When Colby didn't look up, David grabbed the file and slammed it down on the desk.

"Wrong with me? If you would have been backing my play we could have brought Jackson in. You know he's our man." Colby was seething.

David shook his head. It was like talking to a petulant child. "He would have lawyered up and when he got out he would have gone underground. We would never see him again." David's own anger and frustration was running over. "In fact, now that you've jumped him, he's probably at home packing."

Having heard the raised voices, Don walked over to his agents. "What's going on guys?" Concern darkening his eyes.

Colby stood abruptly and shot a glare at David. "Ask my 'partner'". His tone was tight. He brushed by the two men and walked into the breakroom.

"What in the hell was that all about?" Don turned questioningly towards David.

Shaking his head, David looked at his retreating partner. "We were watching Darnell Jackson and Colby approached him and started questioning him. He wanted to bring him in, but we don't have anything to hold him.

Don leveled a look at the agent. "Get a couple of teams on Jackson. I don't want him getting away from us." He turned and gave a nod towards the break room, "I'll go see if Colby is in the mood to talk."

"He's been getting progressively worse the last couple of weeks Don. I've tried to talk with him, but he says it's nothing and will be better for a couple of days. I can't keep walking around on eggshells all the time waiting for him to explode."

"Why haven't you said anything to me?" Don hated being the last to know about what was going on with his team.

Looking a little chagrined, David replied. "I though I could help him with it. But if he won't let me into his head I can't help him much."

"Alright. Get someone on Jackson and I'll catch up with you in a few minutes." Don turned and followed the path of the other man.

Picking up the phone David sighed lightly. He certainly wouldn't want to be in Colby Granger's shoes right now.

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Colby stood with his back to the door, the coffee he had poured was still sitting on the counter. The tension was evident in his shoulders and posture. Don approached him warily.

"Colby." Don kept his tone level. "What's the problem?"

Turning around Colby looked at Don, "Problem? The problem is when my partner isn't backing me up."

"It sounds more like David was trying to keep this case together." Don waited for Colby to answer. With none coming, he continued on. "You are a good agent Colby, but I'm worried about you." Pulling out his wallet he removed a card form it, handing it to Colby. "This is a therapist"

He got no further as Colby snorted, "Therapist? Don, I cleared the mandatory counseling. Besides, having you suggest going to a shrink is like the pot calling the kettle black." He turned back to the coffee machine.

"I would have said the same thing four months ago, but I've been going to see him and it's really helped me out."

"Great for you Don. You're a real fucking poster child for therapy." Colby put his cup down forcefully, hot coffee sloshing out onto his fingers. Not even reacting, Colby moved towards the door.

"Colby, you've got some comp time coming. I expect you to take it and get your head back on straight.

Hesitating at Don's words, Colby left the break room, the door shutting with a muffled bang. Returning to his desk, he reached into the side drawer and removed his keys. He straightened up and without a word walked out of the office.

Don watched the younger man leave the room and mentally kicked himself. This was not how he wanted this conversation to go. With a deep sigh, he walked out and headed towards his office.

Megan and David had watched Colby leave and once Don had exited the break room they both approached him.

Knowing that they were worried about their friend and co-worker, Don ushered them into his office.

Megan was the first to speak and cut right to the chase. "What's going to happen to Colby?"

Don shook his head, "It's up to him Megan. He still is part of this team and I'm prepared to give him a chance to get himself together."

"I don't know where all of his anger is coming from." David tried to make sense of his friend's behavior. "After we got him back he seemed fine. He was cleared for duty and the last few months were fine, but now." David trailed off, the incident this morning speaking volumes.

Megan spoke up, "It could be post traumatic stress syndrome. He buried it then and now it's popping back up."

"I don't know, but right now he seems to be unapproachable." Don spoke quietly. They all stood there for a few minutes; all of them were lost in their own thoughts.

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Alan pushed the kitchen door open with his backside as he carried the hot casserole dish to the table. Setting it onto the table, he picked up a corkscrew and began to open a bottle of wine as Charlie exited the kitchen carrying a tossed green salad. Both men looked up as the front door opened.

"Hello Don. Charlie grab a plate for your brother." Alan had moved to the head of the table and poured a glass of wine. "You're just in time for Chicken Kiev and a wine that Tracy at the Vine House said would knock our socks off." Alan smiled at his eldest son as he moved to the other place setting to pour another glass.

Charlie had nodded a greeting to his brother and had returned to the kitchen to grab a place setting for his brother. He brought it out and set it down as Don crossed to a side chair and sat down heavily. His discomfort was evident by his demeanor.

Handing him a glass of wine, Alan waited for Don to disclose what was bothering him.

Don lifted his eyes and could see his father gazing intently at him. He shifted his eyes towards Charlie and he could see a similar look on his younger brother's face. "What?" Don looked at his family.

"I'm your father Don. If I didn't know when something is bothering you I would loose my parenting license." He smiled at his own levity and then became serious again. He took a drink of his wine and pulled the salad bowl over towards his plate.

Charlie pulled out his chair and sat down. He cast a quick look at his brother and then accepted the salad from his father. Using the tongs he put a serving onto his own plate and then sat the bowl near the empty plate.

Knowing when he was outnumbered, Don pulled himself out of the chair and crossed over to the table and sat down. "It's useless to resist you two. You're worse than a couple of old ladies."

"Who are you calling old?" Alan looked up sharply.

"No one." Don put some salad on his plate and then accepted the chicken from his brother. "Trouble at work." Hoping that would be enough to appease them, but knowing in his heart that these two wouldn't rest until they knew the whole story, Don concentrated on the chicken.

"If you need me to come into the office tomorrow I can be in after my 9:00 am class." Charlie took a drink of the wine. "This is good." He told his father. "You should pick up a couple more of this to have around."

"Charlie, wine doesn't just hang around here if you've noticed. We get a bottle, we drink a bottle." Alan joked.

"It seems like ever since Millie started coming over the wine consumption started going up." Charlie looked over his glass at his father. "So, do you want me in Don?"

"Umm, no." Seeing Charlie's stricken look, Don knew he needed to divulge more information. "It's a personnel problem. Colby hasn't been himself lately."

"What's wrong?" Alan thought of Don's team as surrogate children. "Is this something to do with the Prophet?"

"I'm not sure Dad. He's being argumentative and reckless."

"I don't have any answers for you Don, but knowing Colby like we do I would guess that it's something more than meets the eye." Looking pointedly at his eldest Alan continued, "I hope you can give him the support he needs."

"I just hope that he's willing to take the support." Don stabbed at his salad, hoping that Colby would accept the help of those who cared for him.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's notes: Thanks to the three of you that reviewed. I really appreciate the feedback. Would like to see even more. (Hint, Hint) Only ½ day of school left….then I start teaching driver education for the summer…pray for me!

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Megan kicked off her shoes and bent over to pick them up. There was no use getting the insides of her shoes sandy. Making her way across the short stretch of beach she noticed how the sun's setting rays still illuminated the small inlet area; it was almost like it was pulling all of the available light towards this small section of the coast. The sand felt warm and smooth beneath her feet; it also served to muffle her approach.

She could see him sitting in the sand, posture straight and proper as befitting the ex-soldier that he was. Even when he relaxed, Colby Granger looked anything but at ease. Megan wasn't surprised to see a six pack of beer sitting next to him. She sighed inward; Colby's normal form of stress reduction was a good workout, not alcohol. Three of the beers were already drained and he was working on the fourth. At least it wasn't a twelve pack.

Drawing next to him, she would see that he was aware of her presence, but he didn't speak. Dropping down lightly into the sand next to him, Megan spoke lightly in her normal teasing tone. "Granger, you're a hard man to find."

He took a deep pull off of the beer and without looking at her muttered darkly, "That was the general idea." Another drink, "How did you find me?"

"The GPS system in your cell phone. There are advantages to working for the FBI you know." She smiled, hoping to elicit one in return.

"I'll remember to leave it home next time. I hope Larry appreciates your mothering ways, but I don't Megan."

Grabbing one of his beers and twisting off the cap, Megan took a drink. "You know, you've been a real dick lately Colby. It's making it hard for some of your friends to turn the other cheek."

"Then why don't you just haul yourself back to your car and go home and watch in your telescope for your boyfriend to zip by."

"You know you can get as pissy as you want, but you're not going to get rid of me that easy." She took a sip and cocked an eyebrow at him. "Problem is, you've only got one beer left and I'm awfully thirsty. I suggest we talk a little while and go back to your place or mine and have another beer."

"I could just leave you here with my last beer and I could go find some more someplace else." Colby shot back.

"But I've parked behind you and you won't be able to move your vehicle until I move mine."

Turning to look to see if she was telling the truth, he groaned when he saw Megan's car pulled up close to the back of his. He would not be going anywhere until she let him. He drained the last of his bottle and slid it back into the holder. Pulling out the last beer he twisted off the top and slid the cap into his pocket.

Megan watched the sun sink low onto the horizon, the last amber rays giving a surreal look to the beach. She waited, letting Colby decide when he would talk.

After minutes of silence Colby shifted slightly. "You can be a pain in the ass Reeves."

"So I've heard." She fell silent again.

"Remember when we talked about Rachel and I told you we had gotten close?" Colby saw Megan nod slightly, "Well the more I think about it, the crazier it makes me. When I found out she had resigned and no one would tell me where she was, I thought 'hey it wasn't meant to be'. I buried it with everything else and put on a happy face and went about trying to save the world. But here recently I watch you and Larry, Charlie and Amita, Don and Liz, David is getting his groove on with Claudia, Alan and Millie, everyone is pairing up and I'm the odd man out. I go out on a date and all I think about is Rachel. I guess I'm jealous of what everyone else has and what seems to be out of my reach."

"Colby," Megan started only to be cut off.

"No, don't tell me to give her time." The words seemed to be rung from Colby's soul. "Damn it Megan, it's been over 7 months since I last saw her. I don't understand why she won't let me have a chance to be there for her. It sounds so damn cliché, but what we experienced brought me closer her than I had ever hoped to be. When we talked, before you found us, she told me she felt the same way and that she would like to work on a relationship. But now nothing, and I'm angry and confused and I just don't know. I've been sitting here thinking about it over and over. I can't go on like this."

"Sometimes life is like that Colby." Megan put her arm around her friend. "I wish I had the answer, but I don't. All I can tell you is that anything worth having is worth waiting for."

"Are you talking about Rachel and me or you and Larry." Colby looked at Megan, who took a quick drink on her beer.

After a few moments she replied, "I guess it would apply to both of us." She stood up and dusted herself off. "I've got tomorrow off. What do you say I drive you home and we have a few more of these?"

Colby stared out towards the darkening ocean. His rugged features were unreadable; the inner struggle ended when he stuck out his hand to Megan. "Help me up and let's go. I'll drown my sorrows and pull my head out of my butt."

"Always said you were flexible, but I never knew how flexible." Megan smiled warmly and pulled him up. The momentum caused Colby to bump into her, reacting, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a friendly hug. "Thanks Megan. I appreciate your efforts to keep me from self-destruction."

Leaning into the hug and giving his back a rub, Megan found herself unwilling to break the embrace. Chastising herself, she forced herself to pull back. "Not a problem. Besides I don't know if David is up to training another rookie."

Colby laughed lightly and reached down to pick up the empty six pack. "Glad to know you'd miss me Reeves."

"Sure. I'd miss the fact that you'd be the one buying." She played it off lightly, her own mind spinning with the implications of her feelings. It was crazy she told herself, 'I like Larry and Colby is just my co-worker and friend'. "Come on, you can show your gratitude."

"You're all heart Megan."

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The beach house that Rachel had rented after selling her small home had a small deck facing the water. It was on this deck that she slowly lowered herself into the lounge chair so that she could watch the sunset. Every night without fail she had made a routine of watching the sun sink into the surf. It was peaceful and it allowed her time to reflect. What would she do with her career now that she had left the FBI, what would she do once the baby came, what would she tell her parents and the one that she was most unsure of, what should she tell Colby?

In the past months she had picked up the phone a million times to call him, several times she actually stayed on the line until he answered. But each time she froze, the words refusing to leave her mouth. The longer it had been, the easier it was to just tell herself that she no longer cared. It was a lie. She and Colby had shared so much more than just a casual sexual dalliance. Before that moment they had talked at length while they had been held together. The short but intense experience bonded them together in many ways, now one more and she couldn't find the words to tell him that he was going to be a father.

The phone sitting on the table next to her chair rang and she startled. She glanced at the caller id and recognized the number, she answered. "Hello Mom."

The conversation was relatively short, her mom called her several times a week since her return from captivity. Each time the talk included the open invitation for her to return home to Illinois. Each time Rachel was able to come up with several reasons why the time wasn't right. After bidding her mother goodnight, Rachel groaned as she pushed herself up to a standing position. The sun had completely set and there were no lights on in the house.

Walking through the dark house, the streetlight outside illuminated the parked car just across the street. Rachel paused for a moment as the car caught her eye. She stood to the side of the curtains and watched for a few minutes. Her patience was rewarded as the man sitting in the front seat finally came into view.

A sharp intake of breath seemed to echo through the house. Rachel recognized the face. The man sitting across the street was one of the disciples who had kidnapped her. She could have recognized him anywhere. Moving quickly away from the window, she pulled the curtains closed. Her heart was beating quickly, what should she do?

Grabbing the phone, she flipped open the phonebook and dialed the number for the airline that she knew serviced the area where her parents lived. After booking a flight, she rushed to her bedroom and started throwing clothes into her suitcases. Satisfied that she had everything she would need, she picked the phone back up and contacted a taxi service. In a half an hour she would be headed to the airport.

One more call. Picking up the phone she dialed a number that was now ingrained in her memory. Three rings and it was picked up, "Hello, Colby's place." A female voice greeted Rachel's ear. Unable to speak, Rachel let the phone drop back onto its cradle. Who had she been kidding; it was obvious that Colby had moved on.

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Megan stood with the phone next to her ear. No one had responded and now all she had was a dial tone. Colby hollered from the kitchen where he was putting a frozen pizza into the oven.

"Who is it Megan?"

"Must have been a wrong number." She lowered the phone back to the charging base and headed into the kitchen to help.

Author's Note: Hey check out that button in the corner. What do you think it does? Why don't you click on it and see!


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: Sorry about the delay, but Driver Ed class started on Monday and it eats up most of my day. (I'm the teacher, not the student!). Expect only weekly updates until after the 9th of July. Please remember to review, I know that the first several chapters will move a little slower until I get the "mood" set, so be understanding. Thanks.

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She was still sitting near the phone when the taxi pulled up outside of the beach house and honked. The noise brought Rachel out of her daze and she moved to the door. Grabbing the handle of her suitcase, she extended it and rolled it out to the deck. Looking across the street, she noticed that the car see had seen earlier was gone. Pausing, she questioned herself; had she really seen something or was it just her over active imagination? 'No', she told herself. 'I know what I saw.' Locking the door, Rachel walked out to the taxi and the driver jumped out to attend to her bag.

The taxi pulled away from the curb and turned out onto the road. A few moments later, a dark sedan pulled out and followed a discrete distance behind.

Relaxing back into the seat, Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. Heading back home seemed like the best idea; of course she was going to need to figure out how to explain to her parents and family how she ended up almost eight months pregnant. She smiled lightly as she rubbed her protruding belly, not that she would need to explain the literal "how", but there would definitely be some questions that she would need to answer.

The cab pulled to the terminal, the bright lights of the airport making a harsh glare in the night. After paying the fare, she slowly pulled herself up and out of the backseat. The last month she had really noticed the strain that the baby was putting on her body.

Finally on her feet, she collected her bag from the driver and made her way to the check-in counter. Her bag was tagged and put onto the conveyer and now unencumbered, Rachel checked her ticket and moved towards her gate to begin the process of clearing security.

A young man pulled out a cell phone and punched in a number. Once Rachel had moved on past him, he began to speak. "She's booked on a flight to Rockford, Illinois."

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Monday had dawned sunny and warm. Colby had greeted it with a four-mile run and had then hit the shower. He grabbed a cup of coffee and a granola bar as he headed out the door for the office. He had spent most of the weekend alternating between exercising and sleeping. After much contemplation Colby had decided that he would heed Megan's advice and through himself into his work.

He walked into the office and noticed several head swivel in his direction; word of the outburst with Don would have spread like wildfire among the other agents. Seeing Don was in his private office, he steeled himself for the ass-chewing that he would be receiving.

"Morning Colby."

Hearing Megan's voice, Colby smiled and turned. "Hey Megan."

"Have you talked with Don yet?"

"No, I'm just trying to decide what I should say. Just throw myself on his mercy I guess." Colby glanced at the office again, hoping to identify what type of mood his boss might be sporting today.

Megan gave him a quick hug, "Just go in there and tell him you're sorry. I'll be cheering for you."

"Thanks," he turned back to the office. "For everything. Friday night meant a lot to me. I really appreciate your friendship."

She smiled again, trying not to sink into those baby blue eyes. "Not a problem Granger. Now go get him."

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Colby rapped quietly at the door and waited until Don had motioned him in. "Morning Don." He was apprehensive. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior on Friday. You were right, I was out of line and showed no respect for you or David."

"Damn straight you didn't," Don's voice was icy.

Jumping back in, Colby continued. "I also jeopardized an active investigation. I took your advice and I've got my head back on straight. I hope that you can forgive me."

Don wasn't going to let Colby off that easy; for ten additional minutes Don read Colby the riot act. Towards the end of his tirade, he gruffly told Colby that he better not mess up again.

Colby assured him that it wouldn't happen and contritely left the office. Don watched the agent cross the room and sit sullenly at his desk. 'Maybe I was a little hard on him?' Don thought. Sometimes he worried that his supervisory skills were a little less refined that others in the bureau, but his supervisor had been gruff and demanding and that was whom Don had chosen to emulate. 'If my people don't like my style I guess they can work for someone else.' He shrugged it off and went back to his work.

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Megan gave Colby a few minutes to compose himself; she could see the sting of the reprimand had hit him hard. After making a few phone calls she went over to him. "How did it go?" Knowing the answer, but knowing Colby would want to talk about it.

"Surprised he didn't just fire my ass. I haven't seen him so pissed in a long time." Colby grimaced slightly. "I could have really screw up this investigation."

"So where are you at with it?" Megan perched on the edge of his desk.

"I'm waiting to hear from David. I left a voicemail for him; he's out staking out one of the Assemblymen's aides."

The current case was a murder that seemed to lead to Victor Halstead, an assemblymen who on the surface appeared to be a candidate for sainthood. Underneath it was looking like he was more sinner than saint. Included in his dirty dealing was very large "donations" to the religion headed by Arner Stone. Stone was still missing since the kidnapping of Rachel and Colby and occasional leads would come in, but nothing concrete.

"We are trying to tie the forensics of the murder scene to Halstead, but the only thing we've got so far is a fingerprint from a Dylan Jackson. He claims to know the victim and that he had been over to the victim's home early in the week."

"What seems to be the motive?" Megan looked thoughtful; she had just finished up working on a case solo, an embezzlement case that didn't require much manpower.

"Not sure at this point, could be money, power, or any of a dozen more reasons. We are watching Jackson and hoping that he leads us to something."

"Any chance they know where Stone is?" Megan knew that the crazed prophet's escape and what he might do to Rachel if he were to catch up to her again was a worry of Colby's.

"Not yet, but we're hoping that once things fall into place he might give up the prophet so that he can save his own skin." Colby shook his head. "Lots of 'ifs'."

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It was later in the afternoon, David had been relieved from his stakeout and had returned to the office. Colby, seeing his return, had approached his partner with a heartfelt apology.

David breathed a sigh of relief. He worried about his younger partner and Colby's decision to return to duty was a weight off his mind. "Have you found out anything new today?"

"Not really. I did locate the name of one female that has been associated with the church and is currently drawing a paycheck from the Assemblymen's staff. I thought I would chase down the address and ask her a few questions."

"Want some company?" David was looking for the opportunity to reconnect with his friend.

"Sure. Let's do it." Colby stood and grabbed his sunglasses.

The two men headed to the garage and drove out into the California sun. Talking about the case and then the most recent baseball games, the easy bond of friendship was reestablished.

Colby pulled the vehicle to the curb in front of the apartment and they exited the vehicle. Climbing the steps to the third floor, David stood to the left side of the door as Colby moved to the right and knocked on the door.

They could hear movement on the other side of the door and muffled voices. The door opened slightly, a chain across the opening and a puzzled face. "What do you need?"

Flipping open his identification, Colby spoke. "We would like to talk with Lisa Chambers. I'm Agent Granger and this is Agent Sinclair with the FBI. We have some questions to ask you."

She glanced nervously to her right and after a few tense moments she closed the door and slide the chain free. Opening the door she stood back to allow them entry.

They stepped in and looking around the room noticed two other men seated around the small living room.

"I'm Lisa Chambers." The young woman still looked anxious. She crossed her arms protectively across her body, as if to warm herself.

"Sorry to bother you ma'am," David spoke politely. "But we have some questions that we would like to ask you about Assemblyman Halstead."

"I don't know what I can tell you about him. I work for his office, but not for him directly. I'm not sure what I should talk to you about, my lawyer said to not talk to anyone." Her eyes still flitted nervously towards the others in the room. "I help with copying and filling information."

Colby jumped in, "Could it be that some of that information might deal with either the murder of James Libolt or the operation of Arner Stone?"

It was the million-dollar question, her face froze and the men in the room jumped to their feet. The one man spoke up, "She's not going to answer any more questions. If you are going to take her in for questioning, she won't say a word until her lawyer is there." He made sure that Lisa saw the knowing look on his face.

Continuing, Colby tried to milk more from either. "Seems like that might be the connection. Is Arner Stone involved with the death of James Libolt?"

The other man, a large hulking man stepped forward, "How dare you speak such blasphemy about the Prophet. He is a good and charitable man. Those of you in the government will do whatever it takes to try and discredit him."

"Discredit him? He does a good enough job with that himself." Colby bristled.

Looking at Colby, a sly smile came onto the face of the first man. "Granger? I seem to remember that name. What was it?" He snapped his fingers, "Oh, yes. You were the agent that forced himself onto the Prophet's fiancée. You felt the wrath once, are you looking for it again?"

The color drained from Colby's face and was quickly replaced with a deep red. David moved and laid a restraining hand upon Colby's chest and spoke low. "Don't do it Colby. It's not worth it." He then worked to guide Colby to the door.

"Listen to him Agent Granger." The man's voice was mocking. "You wouldn't want to run afoul of the Prophet again. This time it might not end so happily ever after."

Colby spun, looking at the man. "What do you mean by that?"

"Lets just say that accidents can happen, even to ex-agents. Shall I give your regards to Ms. Willons?"

Pushing Colby out the door, David turned and addressed the men. "I will be coming back, so if you need to get that lawyer, better do it now." He pulled the door shut behind him and walked down the steps to catch up with his partner.

"Colby, hey wait up." David slid into his side of the vehicle as Colby slammed the keys in the ignition. "They were just trying to rile you up, you can't let them get to you like that."

"They were threatening Rachel." Colby was beside himself.

"But not in a way that we can do anything. I'll contact her ex-supervisor and tell him to get word to her that there might be some concern." David could see Colby composing himself. "Come on, lets get back to the office and we'll see what we can do to get Lisa Chambers in for questioning.

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Inside the apartment, the large man grabbed onto Lisa's arm, "Hurry up and pack a couple of bags. You're getting out of here."

The other was speaking into his phone. "Yes, Agent Granger seemed quiet upset when we mentioned Rachel. I think that this might be a problem that we would want to eliminate before it becomes to big of a problem to handle quietly."


	4. Chapter 4

Author's notes: Still do not own any of these characters, except the family of Rachel. Sorry about the delay, Driver Education really messed with my mojo! Actually I blame the show's writers. Ever since they claimed that Colby is a spy for the Chinese I have had a hard time putting it past me. Anyway, as mentioned earlier, I'm staying true to the image we all had of Colby as the all-American boy!

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When her plane reached Denver, Rachel had a two-hour layover before she would need to board. Finding an open gift shop, she purchased a bottle of water and a magazine. Sitting down she tried to pass the time, but her mind kept going back to her last phone call to Colby. The voice was definitely that of a younger woman and the voice sounded very at ease and comfortable enough to answer the phone.

Again she mentally chided herself, why shouldn't Colby move on? She had cut all ties and made it impossible for him to contact her. She had needed time to sort out her feelings. Once she had decided how she felt, the pregnancy clouded the answer. She had never even thought about terminating the pregnancy, but what would happen after the birth of the child was something that she had yet to decide upon. She knew she would not be returning to law enforcement, but what then?

She was surprised when an announcement was made that seating would be beginning for the last leg of her journey. Lifting her bulk out of the chair, she picked up her items and made her way to the counter. A less than perky employee processed the paperwork and in short order was walking down the corridor to the small jet that would take her to Rockford.

Settling into her seat she closed her eyes and within minutes she was a sleep. Waking briefly at take-off, she then reclined her seat and went back to sleep.

It seemed like minutes later the steward was asking everyone to return seats to the upright position for landing. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she tried to work the knots from her neck and back. She glanced at her watch and noted that with the time change she would be arriving in time for an early breakfast.

The landing was non-eventful and she exited; many of the passengers remaining onboard since the plane would be landing next in Chicago. Once inside the terminal, she pulled out her cell phone, but the charge on the battery was too low to make a call. Rachel walked over to a small bank of pay phones, pulled out several coins and dropped them into the slot. Punching in a familiar number, she waited for someone to pick up.

It only took three rings until the phone was answered; Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. "Hi Mom." She continued quickly. "No, everything is fine. I've got a small favor to ask of you though. I'm at the airport and I need a ride to your house."

She paused and listened to her mother's excited exclamation, "So can someone come and get me?" The affirmative answer was adamant. "I flew on Air Tran, so I'll be waiting by the doors." She paused and listened. "Thanks Mom, I love you too."

Disconnecting, she went to find her luggage. Nearby a young man walked up to the car rental counter and quickly filled out paperwork; casting glances towards the luggage claim area.

Twenty-five minutes later a white Taurus pulled up outside the Air Tran doors and a middle-aged woman climbed out. Her long hair was pulled back into a ponytail and the long strands were shot with gray. The face was warm, with laugh lines at the corner of her hazel eyes.

Rachel was suddenly overcome with emotions and tears sprung to here eyes as she saw her mother. 'Damn hormones,' she thought as she wiped at them with her hand. Waving, she called out, "Mom."

Hearing her daughter's voice, Renée Williams turned to look for her daughter. If the obvious pregnant form of her daughter shocked her, it did not show on her face. She moved quickly to Rachel's side and enveloped her in a somewhat sideways hug. "Honey, I'm so glad you've come home. Let's get your bags loaded. Your Dad is home finishing making us all some breakfast.

Rachel was grateful for her mother not asking her any questions as they tossed her bags in and left the airport. Waiting for the light to turn green, Renee smiled at her daughter, "Lets wait to talk until after we've had something to eat. I'm guessing that you have a few things to tell us."

Laughing at the dry wit of her mother, Rachel dabbed at new tears that were threatening to spill across her checks. "You might say that."

Both women shared a laugh; neither paid attention to the non-descript beige sedan that followed their car into the sparse morning traffic and then dropped back to trail them.

Arriving at the small acreage outside of Rockford, Rachel got out and took a deep breath of the fresh morning air. Looking around, she took in the familiar surroundings of her teen years. The two-story farmhouse was painted white and had a large wrap around porch. A porch-swing was suspended near a large picture window. The look was inviting and friendly; quintessential small town America.

Renee insisted on taking care of the luggage. "Now, you go in and freshen-up if you want." They were met at the screen door by a black lab with a briskly wagging tail. "Get back Raider." Renee gently scolded the dog as she pushed open the door.

Rachel held the door as her mother carried in the bags and sat them down. Following her inside, Rachel bent awkwardly over to scratch the dog's ears and tail and she crooned to him. "How have you been? Have you been a good dog? Yes, you're a sweetie." The tail knocked loudly against the wood floor. She watched as her mother headed to the kitchen, no doubt to forewarn her husband about Rachel's condition.

After a few minutes of petting the dog, she followed the hallway down to the guest bathroom. Washing her hands and face; she looked into the mirror. 'I look as tired as I feel', she thought. Maybe coming home was the best idea. She could catch up on her rest and take a break from worrying about what her future was going to bring.

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Pulled over alongside the rural road, the man that had followed the pair from the airport was talking on his cell phone. "Yes, I followed them to 4836 Rolling Acres Road, it is outside of Rockford. She is definitely pregnant. What do you want me to do?"

On the other end of the connection, Arner Stone was contemplating. So Rachel was pregnant, his men in California had thought she might be. Needing more time to think he instructed the disciple that he needed to just keep an eye on her and make sure that she didn't disappear again.

Disconnecting the call, Stone sat in his chair and reflected back over the last 8 months. He had found and subsequently lost the woman that would have given new life to his church. Since his narrow escape from the cabin hideaway, Stone had been on the run. Staying with the most devote followers he had been able to evade capture, but the feeling of being pursued had further damaged his already weakened mental status. His daily preaching had taken on an increased tone of hatred towards the government, especially those that were currently searching for him.

Currently staying in a disciple enclave in Arizona, he had been working with several of his disciples to try and manipulate the system from the inside. An assemblyman with a fondness for underage girls had become a staunch supporter and had been helping with donations to the church and applying what pressure he could on the authorities to allow them to practice their religion in peace. Unfortunately someone had found out about the young girls and had tried to blackmail Assemblyman Halstead. The blackmailer's death had brought attention back to the Church and the FBI had been sniffing around. Balling his hand into a fist, Stone slammed it onto the table. His plans for a glorious future continued to crumble and he needed to act quickly to shore things up.

His thoughts turned back to Rachel. He had been so close, there had only been two days of cleansing left until she would have been his bride. Any child she carried should have been his. It could have been, had it not been for the FBI agent that had interfered with his plans. His attempt at eliminating the agent had failed with the timely arrival of other agents.

As he sat and thought about it more and more, Stone slowly began to believe that the child that Rachel was carrying was actually his. It should have been, so in his mind it was. A renewed sense of purpose surged through the prophet's veins. It was important that he reclaimed his child and his bride if possible. With his family by his side, they would lead the Church into a bright future.

Picking up his phone, he placed several calls and put the wheels into motion. Soon he would be on his way to Illinois to bring home his family.

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The morning had started with Colby and David in Don's office. David had returned to the apartment yesterday only to find it empty and so far there had been no sign of Lisa Chambers. It seemed that one of their few leads in this case had flown the coop. They had put out an APB for her, but so far nothing had come in. Neither man was optimistic about finding her again.

The younger agent had also voiced his concerns about Rachel's safety and had implored his boss to use his connections to locate and protect her. The veiled threat against her safety had rattled Colby.

Don agreed to contact Rachel's ex-boss and ask for any assistance in finding her and giving her a warning. It was while they were hashing over the case that David received a phone call. He stepped out of the room and in a few moments returned. "That was the morgue, a Jane Doe just came in and the description matches our APB on Lisa Chambers."

"Shit." Don ran a hand through his short cut hair. "David, get over to the morgue and make an identification if you can. Colby, I want you to go over to her apartment. Take a forensic team and get me something on someone."

Both men left Don's office and made for the parking garage. David shook his head as they headed down to the ground floor, "We should have grabbed her yesterday." He was second-guessing his own judgment.

"We had nothing to hold her on. Even if we had, she wouldn't have talked. I've seen what these people do. There is no way any of them will spill the beans on Stone." Colby pulled out his keys, "Call me if Jane Doe is a match." Both knew that it was very likely that it would be and now there would be two murders to solve.

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It was the type of breakfast that she would never fix for herself; in California a big breakfast would be cream with her coffee. Here, pancakes, eggs and bacon were a light start to the day. Her parents were lingering over coffee, so she excused herself from the table. Heading into the living room, she stopped to look at the framed pictures lining the mantle and scattered around the room. The pictures on the mantle were grouped by family members; her older brother Robert, along with his wife and two sons, her little sister Roxanne and her husband Pete and then a photo of herself. 'I guess Mom will finally get to fill in a little around my photo,' She told herself.

"The one's of boys is new."

Her mother's voice jolted Rachel from her own thoughts. "It's nice. I haven't talked to Robert in a while." Her older brother lived in town and she knew it gave her parents great joy to have grandchildren so close.

"Family is important. They can be your greatest supporters in times of need."

The words struck a cord in Rachel and the tears started to flow again. She turned to her mother and was enveloped by reassuring arms. Her mother crooned soft words of comfort into her ear as she rubbed her back tenderly.

Renee gave her daughter a few minutes to cry before she tried to get her daughter to open up. "Family will be important to the baby. Does the father plan on contributing or will you be raising the baby on your own."

Grabbing a tissue, Rachel blew her nose and shook her head. "He doesn't know."

"He's unsure?"

"No," replied Rachel. "I haven't told him yet. The agent that was held captive with me is the father." She sat down on the couch and proceeded to tell her mother the whole story.

"Rachel, far be it for me to intrude, but you need to let him know." Renee told her daughter gently. "He has a right to know that he is going to be a father."

"You're right, but I just can't call him up on the phone and tell him. "By the way Colby, sorry I've been out of touch the last 7 months, but you knocked me up."." Rachel's voice was heavy with sarcasm.

"I don't imagine you would want to just spring it on him over the phone. Why don't you invite him here and then you will know if he is still interested in you? But either way you owe it to him to let him know." Renee's voice was caring, but firm.

"A part of me is worried that he will accept and another is hoping that he won't." Rachel's tears began anew.

"A part of this is your father's and my fault." Renee spoke softly. "If we hadn't stayed with the Church for so long, both you and Robert wouldn't have such confused ideas about love." She sighed, "I guess I'm lucky that Roxanne was young enough to not understand what was going on around her. We were so blind to so many things. The idea of a huge family serving God was such a promising hope, that we wanted to believe." Tears came to her own eyes, "I just wish we would have woke-up sooner."

"It's not anyone's fault Mom, except the Prophet's. He's the one that has twisted God's word. It's not that I can't love, I guess it's that I'm just afraid to love. I've seen too often what happens when someone gives himself or herself totally to another. I don't want to lose a part of me."

"But it's not losing a part of yourself. The part you give comes back to you tenfold because it's been multiplied by the love of your partner. Don't be afraid to love, you'll look back someday and hate yourself for not taking a chance." Renee smiled at her daughter through her tears. "I'll leave you alone. I'm sure you have a call you would like to make."

Rachel nodded and walked over to the phone. Picking it up she dialed Colby's cell phone number. A ribbon of fear wound itself around her as she waited for the phone to be answered.

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So far the search of the house had given them nothing. Other investigators worked on trying to locate forensic evidence; one promising item was semen and vaginal fluid on the sheets. Colby was going through the stack of mail that had been left on the counter when his phone rang.

Glancing at the display he didn't recognize the number or even the area code, flipping it open he spoke. "Agent Granger."

"Hello Colby."


	5. Chapter 5

Author's notes: Wow, is it just me or is the summer going quick. Sorry I haven't updated as fast as I should. I had to take two days to read the newest Harry Potter book and then we had the County Fair to prepare for and go to. Tomorrow I head into Chicago to shop for several days. I must also confess I'm having a little problem getting motivated to write because I fear we won't see Colby back in any form this fall. Perhaps lots of reviews would make my muse work harder. Hint-hint.

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It took Colby a moment for the realization to sink in that on the phone was the one person he had most wanted to talk to. "Rachel. I am so glad to hear from you. I've been trying to get a hold of you." 'Easy boy,' his little voice told him. 'Don't scare her off by rambling like a lunatic.'

"I'm sorry I've been out of touch." Rachel took a deep breath. "I'd like to talk to you, but I don't think over the phone is the way to do it."

A sense of relief flooded over Colby, "No problem. I can get off work early and swing by. Where are you living?"

She hesitated, "Well, that's part of the problem. I'm in Illinois. My parents live here and I'm staying with them for a while."

"Illinois?" Colby was surprised, but determined. "Hey no problem. I've been meaning to work on my frequent flier miles. You tell me where and I'll be there."

Smiling broadly as a huge weight lifted from her chest, Rachel gave him the details where to fly into and also the number where she could be reached. Taking a risk she continued, "Colby, I'm really looking forward to seeing you again. Call me when you know when your flight will arrive."

"Sure thing. I'll try to get a flight out yet today. Can you do me a really big favor though?"

Rachel was a little unsure, "What?"

"I want you to be careful. We are working a case right now that has ties to Prophet Stone and," Colby was unsure whether he should tell her about the threat. "A disciple mentioned that things could get dangerous for FBI agents, even ex-agents."

Rachel was silent for a moment, long enough for Colby to wonder if the connection had been broken. "Rachel, are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking." Rachel thought about the car across the street from her place in California, 'maybe I wasn't imagining things.' "Thanks for the warning. Call when you have your flight information. Talk to you later."

"See you soon Rachel." Colby replied as he hung up.

Colby turned to one of the technicians, "I let you wrap things up and give a call to this number as soon as you get any information." Colby wrote David's number on the back of his business card and handed it to the tech.

Walking into the bright California sun, Colby opened his phone and placed a call to Don, but got his voicemail. "Hey Don, I'm headed back to the office and need to talk to you. I'm about 15 minutes out, so I'll be there soon."

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Rachel slowly hung up the phone and turned to see her mother standing in the doorway. The questioning look on her mother's face spoke for volumes. "He's coming here."

Smiling, her mother entered the room. "I'll make up a spare room."

"Wait a minute Mom." Rachel threw up her hand. "I don't know how he's going to react, so I think it will be best if we reserve Colby a room in town at a motel. That way if things become uncomfortable he'll have an out."

"I'll get it ready just in case." Renee headed up the stairs that lead to the bedrooms.

Shaking her head, Rachel slowly climbed the stairs behind her mother. 'She's probably planning the wedding already.'

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It was hard to keep the smile off his face when he arrived back at the office. Colby glanced towards Don's office and saw he was currently busy talking with another agent. Walking over to his own cubicle, Megan waved him over to her. She was on the phone and she held up one finger to indicate he should wait a minute.

Hanging up, she leveled a gaze at her friend. "You're smiling. What's up?"

"She called."

Megan was slightly confused. "The girl from your APB?"

Colby sat on the empty corner of Megan's desk. "No, Rachel called me and wants to meet with me. She's in Illinois right now, so I'm going to call and get a flight."

"Why Illinois?"

"Her parents live there and she's visiting for a while."

"Why didn't she just wait until she was back in California?" Megan was inquisitive.

"I guess I didn't ask. To be quiet honest, I was just relieved to finally hear from her." Colby glanced towards Don's office and saw that the other agent was leaving. "I'll be right back, I need to speak with Don."

Megan frowned lightly to herself. She was worried for her friend and the fact that Rachel was suddenly popping back into the picture made her wonder. Shaking her head slightly, she chided herself. She wouldn't let the spark of jealousy she felt overshadow Colby's joy. Ever since things had cooled with Larry, she had been questioning her feelings for her co-worker. Inner-office romances were not looked upon favorably, although several of them knew about Don and Liz. Turning back to her computer, she returned to her work.

Colby knocked lightly and entered Don's office. "Hey Don, I've got some good news and I've got a favor to ask."

Looking up, Don's face was serious. "I can use some good news."

"Looks like we might have some physical evidence from the apartment, the technicians are finishing up and we might have results this afternoon." Colby waited a moment. "Some other good news is that I spoke with Rachel a little while ago."

Don looked up, knowing that the ex-state agent had been out of touch. "Did her boss get a hold of her?"

"Not that I know of. She called me and I told her about the threat."

"How did she take the news?" Don pushed back slightly in his chair, looking up towards Colby.

"Alright, but I do have a favor." Colby paused momentarily. "I need to go to Illinois and meet with her and I was wondering if I can use some of my vacation time?" He looked hopeful.

Sighing internally, Don knew he needed to deny Colby's request. They were a little shorthanded as it was; others in the department were on vacation already. Plus, with the current case surrounding the assemblyman needed to be dealt with while it was still fresh. For all of the reasons he could think of he knew that Colby was looking for answers from Rachel. If he were to refuse Colby, it wouldn't surprise Don if Colby would quit. Looking at his agent, he could see the hope in Colby's eyes. 'He better appreciate this' thought Don. "I can give you five days."

Colby broke into a wide grin. "Thanks Don. I really appreciate this." He turned to walk out of the office.

"Hey, Colby. Keep your eyes open, o.k.."

"No problem Don. It's the Midwest, nothing ever happens there."

"Lets keep it that way." Don turned back to his work.

Walking quickly, Colby stopped by Megan's desk quickly and filled her in. "Wish me luck Megan." He smiled broadly. "Hopefully I can convince her to come back with me. I've got to run, I'm hoping I can still catch a flight out this afternoon. I'll talk to you guys later."

With that he hurried from the office, waving as he left. Megan watched him go, 'I hope you know what you're doing Colby.'

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Colby had stopped by his apartment and threw together a bag with the essentials. On the way home he had arranged for a seat on an out-bound flight for that afternoon; fortunately he would be flying directly to Chicago and then renting a car. The trip to Rockford would take just over an hour, so Colby was hoping to arrive later in the evening.

The flight was uneventful and the drive from Chicago even more so. Having grown up in Idaho, Colby was used to the open spaces that the mid-west was famous for. During the drive he mentally rehearsed what he intended to say to Rachel. 'No,' he reminded himself. He would wait until Rachel told him why she had left and then he would let her know how he felt.

It was almost 10:00 p.m. when Colby pulled into Rockford. He had called Rachel when he was almost there and they agreed that morning would be a better time to meet. Colby had taken down the directions to the motel that Rachel had reserved for him and had also received those for finding the family home. Colby promised to see her in the morning.

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Rachel was up early. Sleep at been difficult at best. Each new position had only provided temporary comfort, so as the dawn was breaking, Rachel gave up and headed downstairs. Her father was already up and enjoying a cup of coffee. Seeing his oldest daughter, Paul Willons smiled and motioned for her to grab a cup of coffee.

"Unless it's decaf, I'll have to pass." Rachel sat down gingerly.

"Sorry. I didn't even think about that. I suppose the baby doesn't need any extra help when it comes to being active."

"That's no lie. He was up all night doing flips." She rubbed her belly as if to sooth the baby.

"He?" Her father raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know for sure. I decided I'd like the surprise; it's kind of like Christmas." Rachel smiled. "I say he because I can't imagine a girl being this much trouble."

Laughing, Paul shook his head. "You better talk to your mother about that. She claimed you were the most rambunctious baby in the world."

"Where is mom?"

"She is still in bed. She stayed up a little later than normal, so I thought I'd let her sleep in a while. I'm heading out to check on the cattle, do you want to go with me?"

"That sounds good. It's been so long since I've been home; I've really missed it." Rachel's looked at her father's lean frame. When they had escaped from the Church, the family had moved to the Midwest and her father had taken up farming. The first years had been difficult, the farm crisis saw many family farms being lost to foreclosure by the banks, but the Willons' had managed to slowly increase their holdings and their profit. Now, her father had a successful cattle farm; producing quality beef for the showring and the market.

Paul stood and walked over to the hook by the back door and grabbed his hat. He watched as Rachel pushed herself up and moved to join him. "Leave a note for your Mom. I don't want her worrying about where you've gotten yourself off to."

She quickly wrote a note and propped it by the coffee maker, knowing that it would be her Mother's first stop. Father and daughter went out the backdoor and headed towards an older red pick-up. Minutes later, they were headed down the road.

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Colby woke up and glanced at the clock; it was just after six in the morning. He lay back, it was too early to show up on Rachel's doorstep. There was no going back to sleep, so he got up and put on shorts and running shoes. He headed out into the early morning light and began to stretch for his daily run.

Forty-five minutes later and breathing heavily, Colby let himself back into his room. A hot shower and a close shave were the next items of business. He dressed and looked at the clock. It was almost eight, heading down to the lobby he took a few minutes to enjoy a cup of coffee.

The directions to the farm were very straightforward and by eight-thirty he was standing at the front door. Colby took a deep breath to settle the slight uneasiness in his stomach. Rehearsing his opening lines one last time, he reached out and knocked on the door.

The woman that opened the door had a warm smile on her face. "Good morning, you must be Colby. I'm afraid that Rachel went with her father to check the cattle. I was expecting them back sooner, but sometimes things come up. Oh, I'm sorry, come in." She stepped back and allowed Colby to enter.

"That's alright, I'm probably earlier than Rachel expected." Colby held out his hand in welcome.

"No problem. I'm Renee Willons, Rachel's mother." She shook his hand. "Come on out to the kitchen with me. Can I get you a cup of coffee?"

Following her into the sunny kitchen Colby smiled at her, "I'm fine, I had a cup before I left the motel."

"Motel coffee? Poor boy, let me get you the good stuff. Do you take cream or sugar?" Seeing him shake his head, she continued on. "Sit yourself on down. I've got some apricot bread I baked last night." Renee sat a cup of coffee down in front of Colby and bustled about getting bread, cream cheese and butter out. "So, how long are you here for Colby?"

'She doesn't beat around the bush' thought Colby. "I have five days off before I go back."

"Rachel told me about how the two of you met."

'Shit.' He thought, 'not the type of information you want a mother to know.' He swallowed a drink of coffee and regretted it immediately as he burnt his tongue. "I wish we had met under different circumstances." He hoped that would soften any preconceived image she had of him already.

"So, what are your intentions then?" Renee pressed.

"Mom!" Rachel's voice sounded through the screen door as she pushed it open. "I didn't invite Colby here for you to interrogate."

Colby smiled and turned towards the sound of her voice. She stepped through the door and Colby's smile froze on his face as he saw the obviously pregnant woman.

Rachel caught the look on Colby's face and quipped, "Surprise."

Author's note: For those of you that are action junkies, next chapter is for you!


	6. Chapter 6

Author's notes: Remember that I don't own Numb3rs and their characters. I do however lay claim to the family of Rachel. I also don't live in Rockford, Illinois (I did use the bathroom there once and got an ice cream cone.), so the details of the town are wholly of my design.

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"Surprise."

Colby sat his coffee mug on the table and stood from the table. The look of surprise had left his face and had been immediately replaced by a more neutral look. Using his training he made sure that his real emotions would not show. He moved towards Rachel and took a hold of her hands. "Rachel. I've really missed you." His tone was soft and sincere.

"Hello Colby. I'm sorry we are a little late; Dad had trouble finding a couple of his heifers. I see you've already met my mother." Rachel shot a glare at her mom. "This is Paul Willons, my father."

Turning and extending his hand, Colby and Paul exchanged welcomes. Glancing at his wife, Paul spoke. "Well Renee, I think these two would like some privacy to talk. Why don't I give you a hand in the garden."

"I'll grab my gloves." Renee gave Colby a quick hug. "Nice meeting you Colby." She moved to Rachel and pulled her into a hug. Renee whispered, "Trust your heart to make the right decision for you." Smiling she pulled back and followed her husband out of the door.

Both stood looking at each other for a moment. Rachel broke the ice, "Why don't we go into the other room, it will be a little more comfortable than these kitchen chairs." She turned and led the way. Sitting down in an overstuffed side chair, she watched as Colby settled himself on the couch facing her. "Colby, I'm really sorry that I didn't call you after you left the hospital."

"It's alright, I understand that you had some things that you had to deal with. I wanted to give you the space you needed, I was afraid that if I pressed too hard you would shut me out."

"I was going to call, but then things got more complicated."

Colby stood up suddenly, "Complicated?" His shock and uncertainty have given way to anger and hurt. "You call being pregnant with my child, our child, complicated?" He turned and looked at the pictures on the mantle.

Rising and crossing to him, Rachel put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry Colby. Once I found out I was pregnant I was worried that you would reject me. It was wrong, but I didn't know what to do; then one day turned into another and another and I was ashamed to call because it was so late. Then when I did call a female answered your phone, so I decided that you had moved on. So, I came here. I knew that I needed to let you know and, well, you know the rest."

"Are these your brother and sister?" Colby asked.

A little thrown by the conversation's turn, Rachel answered with surprise in her voice. "Yes, that is Robert and my younger sister Roxanne. The little boy is Robbie, he's Robert's son."

"Plays baseball." Colby's voice was a little flat. He picked up the frame and looked at the young boy with a blue baseball cap covering his fine blonde hair.

"T-ball actually. He just turned five." Rachel tried to figure where Colby was going with this.

Putting the frame back down, Colby turned and took Rachel's hand. "I want what your brother wants. I want our child to have a mom and a dad, a home, all of it." He dropped down on his knee and spoke gravelly. "Rachel, please marry me."

The out of the blue nature of the proposal left Rachel speechless. She looked down at Colby and shook her head. The look of disappointment was etched on his features. Tears sprung anew in her eyes and she wiped at them with her fingers. Finding her voice she spoke, "Colby, I can't marry you."

"Why not? You're carrying a part of me and I want to be around. I want to have a family. There is no one else; I'm not in any relationships. We can make this work." His voice cracked slightly with emotion.

"Colby," she began softly. "We hardly know each other. What type of start is that for a family?"

"Others have done it with less. I'm not going to let my child grow up without a father."

"I'm not saying that you can't have a relationship with the baby and who knows, maybe we can make a relationship work. But to marry you right now, I can't. It wouldn't be fair to either of us."

Walking over to the couch, Colby sat back down. What Rachel had said made sense, but he still felt defeated. Rachel waited in silence for a few moments and then walked over to his side and sat down. She took his hand and placed it on her extended belly. "He's been kicking. There, do you feel it?"

Colby's face slowly broke into a smile. "That's some power." He looked at her, "He?"

"I don't know for sure. The baby is so active I assume it's a boy." Rachel released Colby's hand, but he left it on her, trying to feel more of the kicks.

They were still sitting that way when the front door opened and in walked a young woman, the dog following behind, and his tail wagging. "Rachel!"

Colby withdrew his hand as Rachel stood up. The two women embraced, each talking a mile a minute. "Rachel, you look wonderful. Mom called me and told me there was a surprise waiting for me when I got back, but I never dreamed it was you."

"She said you were at a workshop in Moline. When did you get back?" Rachel looked at her younger sister. "Raider get back, lay down."

"Late last night, I wanted to come over but Pete said whatever the surprise was could wait until morning. Of course I didn't count on sleeping in so late. I guess that's one of the perks of being a teacher." She then turned her attention on Colby. "Hi, I'm Roxanne, younger sister."

"Colby Granger. Nice to meet you."

Turning back to Rachel, she smiled. "So, tell me what you've been up to. Other than the obvious I mean. I do have a passing knowledge of the facts of life."

Rachel blushed slightly, "Why don't we talk a little later."

"Fine, but when I spoke to Mom this morning she invited Pete and I to supper. She also mentioned calling Rob and Tina. It sounds like she's planning a family get-together."

The back screen door slammed and a moment later Renee walked into the room. "Morning Roxanne."

"Hi Mom."

"I did get a hold of Tina and she said they will plan on coming over around six tonight." Renee turned to Colby and smiled. "I hope you are able to come for supper tonight. I'd like for you to get to know the rest of the family."

He glanced at Rachel and she nodded her agreement. "I'd love to."

"Colby," Rachel spoke. "Why don't I walk you out to your car and we can talk a little more."

After saying goodbye to Roxanne and Renee, Colby and Rachel walked out into the bright mid-morning sun. "I have an appointment with Dr. Brown at 1:00 if you want to go with me. My doctor back in California told me to find someone locally, so I was able to get in today."

"I'd really like that. I meant what I said about wanting to be a part of this child's life." Colby opened his door and paused a moment. "Would you like me to pick you up?"

"How about I stop by your motel and pick you up. No need for you to drive out here again today."

He frowned slightly, "Does that mean you don't want me here for supper?"

"Huh?" Rachel looked confused, "Oh, that's not what I meant. Yes, I want you to come out for supper. Be warned however that my whole family can teach you a few tricks in interrogation techniques. So, be prepared to share your life story, your bank account and social security number."

Colby laughed lightly, "Don't worry, the same will happen when you meet my folks."

It was her turn to smile lightly, "I'll look forward to that. Be ready at 12:30 and I'll meet you by the lobby."

"Until then." He climbed in and shut the car door and started it. The window slide down and Colby waved as he pulled out of the farm drive.

Sighing, Rachel turned and walked back into the house knowing what she was in for.

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Megan was already at her desk when Don walked into the office. He stopped by her desk and commented, "You're here early today."

"Since you put me on the Halstead case I thought I better play catch up. Plus, I wanted to follow up on some hotline tips that came in late yesterday." She turned her chair away from the computer and looked at her boss, who had sat down on the edge of her desk.

"David find out any more about Lisa Chambers?"

"One gun shot, from the back. The body had been dumped in the woods and a hiker's dog found it. We got lucky with that; it was remote enough that we might have never found the body otherwise. They extracted a bullet and were running it looking for a match."

"Anything look promising on the hotline?" Don took a sip of the coffee he had brought with him.

"The normal; Stone was spotted at a laundry mat in Fresno, Stone was gassing up in Des Moines, Stone was learning to tango in Tulsa." Megan laughed ruefully.

"Well, keep checking. You never know when something substantial will turn up." Don rose and motioned towards Colby's cubical. "Hear anything from Granger?"

"No, but that doesn't surprise me. I hope things are going ok for him. I still don't get why Rachel would wait all this time before contacting him."

"I guess we'll know soon enough. At least we don't have to worry about her safety, not much to worry about in Illinois." Don walked to his office.

As Megan read her computer screen she murmured to herself, "But Colby seems to find trouble regardless."

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The doctor's appointment had gone well. The highlight in Colby's eyes had been the ultrasound that had been performed. Even though the baby did not cooperate by confirming whether it was a boy or girl, they did get to see that everything was looking good.

Rachel had dropped him off at the motel and he killed the several hours that remained by watching television. He didn't realize he had dozed off until he woke with a start. Glancing at the clock, Colby saw that he had thirty minutes until he needed to head out to the farm again.

He jumped into the shower for a quick rinse, put on a clean pair of jeans and polo. Pulling out of the motel, he noticed a Flowerama and turned into the parking lot. Minutes later he left with a bouquet of flowers for Rachel and some for her mother.

Colby had been in many situations in his life; combat, stand-offs and other life or death dealings, but he had never felt quiet as nervous as he was feeling now. The thought of facing her parents again, plus the siblings made Colby wish he was looking down the barrel of a gun instead. Pulling into the driveway he was relieved to see only two vehicles. He would have a little time to steel himself for the onslaught.

The dog came to greet him as soon as he got out of his rental car. "Hey Raider." He knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. A voice beckoned him in. He followed the voices into the kitchen. Greeting the two women with a smile, he presented the flowers. Renee gushed over the gift and immediately went to find two vases for the flowers.

Rachel pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and walked over to Colby and gave him a quick hug. "Thanks for the flowers, they are lovely. Mom loves flowers. She always gives Dad crap for not giving them to her often enough."

"No problem. I'm glad you like them." The sound of a vehicle pulling in was accompanied by the barking of the dog. Looking out the window Rachel remarked, "It's my brother."

"Will he beat me up?" Colby asked half serious.

"Why?" Rachel looked confused.

"Isn't it obvious, I've gotten his younger sister pregnant. If it happened to my sister, I'd kill him."

"Rob isn't that type of older brother. I'll explain later." The back door opened and a young boy came tearing into the room. "Aunt Ray!"

"Hey Robbie!" Rachel knelt down and allowed herself to be engulfed by a hug from her young nephew. "I've missed you so much."

"I got the soccer goal and ball you sent me. Daddy putted it in the back yard." The young boy pulled out of the hug and appraised Colby. "Is this my new uncle?"

"Bobby!" A petite redhead walked into the kitchen. Colby recognized her photo from the front room. "I'm so sorry, I thought I had taught him better manners than that." Holding out her hand she introduced herself, "I'm Rachel's sister-in-law Tina and this rude young man is Robbie."

"No problem," Colby gave her an "aw-shucks" grin. "I've got nephews of my own and I know how kids are."

Renee came up from the basement carrying two vases and sat them down on the counter. She held out her arms and Robbie propelled himself into her arms. "Gramma!"

The door slammed again and Roxanne entered, followed by her husband, Pete. Pete was carrying a covered casserole dish. Glancing at Rachel he raised an eyebrow. "Nice seeing you again Rachel."

"Hello Pete."

Roxanne opened the oven and taking the dish from Pete, slid it in. "Mom, do you have room in the refrigerator for a watermelon?"

Once his hands were free, Pete turned to Colby. "Nice meeting you Colby. I'm Pete Westerbrooke, the most recent addition to this crazy family."

"Good to meet you too." Colby took the man's hand and gave a firm shake.

"Crazy huh?" Roxanne spoke to her husband. "I seem to remember you begging me to marry you."

Pete smiled good-naturedly, "How quickly they forget. Colby, what do you say we head out to the patio and grab a beer. That will give the ladies plenty of time to talk about you before dinner."

Roxanne swatted at her husband, "Pete!"

Colby laughed, he liked Pete already and a beer might take a little of the edge off. "Sounds good, lead on."

Pete ushered Colby out to the backyard to a shaded patio area. There, a thinner blonde man stood talking to Paul. Pete opened a cooler and grabbed a beer and handed it to Colby, then took one another for himself. "Hello Rob, Paul.

"Hi Pete, I'm surprised Roxanne let you come out here so quick." Turning to Colby, Paul continued to explain. "Normally she has him in the kitchen; she's trying to henpeck him." He indicated the man standing next to him, "Colby, I'd like you to meet Rob, my oldest."

"Pleased to meet you Rob." Colby smiled and stuck out his hand.

"Same here." Rob's grip was tight, as if he was trying to outdo Colby. His eyes were cold and penetrating. He was obviously not happy to meet the man that had gotten his sister pregnant.

Still smiling, Colby realized he would be in for a battle in trying to win the friendship of Rachel's brother. 'I expected it, I just hoped I was wrong,' he told himself.

The four men stood around making small talk until Roxanne carried out a platter piled high with meat. "Alright Dad, time for you to start cooking."

"No problem," replied Paul. "The grill has been ready for a while, I was just waiting on you girls."

Having handed off the platter, Roxanne crossed over to her husband, took the can from his hand and took a sip of the beer. "Leinies? Dad's breaking out the good stuff because normally we only get Budweiser." She looked at Colby and smiled. "Hopefully we can get you to come around often."

Colby took another drink. "I'd like that." He tried to be as non-committal as possible since he didn't want to air anything that he and Rachel had discussed earlier. "Rockford looks like a nice little town."

Laughing lightly Roxanne commented. "Little? Biggest around here, of course Chicago is close enough. I suppose in comparison to L.A. it does seem like a small town."

The group continued talking until Paul removed the cooked meat and they all headed inside. The women that had remained inside had prepared a spread of food large enough to feed an army. Within minutes they were all seated around the table and filling their plates.

The conversation during the meal ranged from the recent weather and Robbie's t-ball season, to stories from the childhood of the three Willons children. Colby felt as if he hadn't laughed so hard in years.

After the dessert dishes had been cleared and the leftover food put away, the group made their way outside to the porch. Rob and his family headed home, since Robbie was starting to get cranky. Citing the need to get up early in the morning, Pete and Roxanne were the next to leave, only after making Colby promise to come to their home the next night for supper. Minutes later, Renee and Paul excused themselves to go back indoors.

Colby and Rachel sat together on the porch swing, watching the fireflies light up the farmyard. The gentle sway of the swing lulled the couple into a relaxed state. Rachel's head soon found its way onto Colby's shoulder, her eyes closed and her breathing evened out.

Colby smiled as he looked at the sleeping woman. He had enjoyed meeting her family and hopefully in time he might be able to count himself part of them. He was so relaxed that he never even noticed the dark shape of a vehicle parked alongside the roadway.

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Sitting in the darkened car, Arner Stone stared through a pair of binoculars. The light from farmhouse was enough to illuminate the couple sitting on the porch. Stone's grip tightened as he watched his intended wife and child resting on the object of his hatred. The FBI agent had ruined his plans and this time there would be no mistakes made when it came to ridding Stone of this annoyance.

The man on the swing raised a hand and ran it slowly along the face of the sleeping woman, tenderly caressing her. Her eyes opened and she smiled sleepily. They both stood and walked towards the door. He opened the door and before she entered she paused to give him a kiss on the cheek. Closing the door behind her, he walked to his car and started it up.

Watching this display of affection caused the Prophet to curse quietly under his breath. Turning to the man that was driving the car, Stone demanded that they follow the agent and see where he was staying.

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Colby was feeling anything but tired when he returned to his motel. Going inside he decided that he might feel more like sleep if he took another run. Putting on his running clothes, he stretched out for a few minutes and then exited his room. Turning away from the business district and heading for more residential areas, the sound of his feet hitting the pavement was lost in the sounds of the night.

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Stone and his disciple had followed Colby's car discreetly to the motel. When the light to his room hadn't went out, they had remained to see what would transpire next. When the man exited the room and started jogging down the street Stone decided to act. Turning to the driver, Stone spoke with no emotion in his voice. "Follow him until you can make hitting him look like an accident. "

The car pulled out of the parking lot and began to trail the jogging figure. Smiling, Stone thought to himself, 'soon nothing will be there to get between Rachel and myself.'

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Colby's thoughts were on his conversation with Rachel and the evening he had just spent with her family. The sound of a car engine accelerating rapidly broke into his thoughts and caused him to turn slightly to look behind him. The headlights blinded him as the vehicle closed the distance quickly. Turning back to the front, Colby started to run when he stumbled in a pothole and went down heavily. Pushing up onto bloodied hands and knees, Colby knew that running was no longer an option as the car speed towards him.


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's notes: Ahhhhhh, where is my summer going? I have to admit that my fear of not having Colby back next fall is making it hard to press on, but I am committed to finishing my tale. (I'm assuming that Colby won't be back, I haven't seen any offical notice)_

_Thanks to my reviews, I probably don't do a good enough job thanks you all individually. I do appreciate all reviews, I like to know what I'm doing wrong/right. Keep them coming, it helps with my motivation._

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_Colby's thoughts were on his conversation with Rachel and the evening he had just spent with her family. The sound of a car engine accelerating rapidly broke into his thoughts and caused him to turn slightly to look behind him. The headlights blinded him as the vehicle closed the distance quickly. Turning back to the front, Colby started to run when he stumbled in a pothole and went down heavily. Pushing up onto bloodied hands and knees, Colby knew that running was no longer an option as the car sped towards him._

Barely regaining his feet, Colby spun to the right and landed on the hood of a parked car. The car sped by and the braked suddenly. Moving again, it pulled into a driveway and reversed back into the street.

Rolling off of the car, Colby started off running down the sidewalk. He looked for any sign of the neighbors waking up. Not seeing any lights coming on he continued back the direction he had come, sticking to the sidewalks, cutting through yards and being mindful of the car being somewhere out there. The lights of the business area were getting closer, but that also meant the end of the protection afforded by the residential neighborhood.

Breathing heavily he turned down a side street, trying to remember where his best chance for escape lay. The sound of a car's motor approaching renewed his sprint for safety. With the agility of a linebacker, he cut and ran down a narrow alley; the brighter lights at the end beckoning him.

The car stopped by the mouth of the alley and a door slammed. A moment later the sound of gunfire echoed off the walls. Swerving to the edge, he tried to stay in the shadows. Bursting from the alleyway onto the well-lit roadway, he turned and headed towards the direction of his motel.

Tires squealed somewhere close and it was an answer to his prayers when a police cruiser came around the corner from the other direction. Seeing the squad car he ran towards it, waving his arms. The cruiser slowed and then stopped. The two officers stepped from the car warily as Colby approached.

"Hold it right there." The older officer's hand rested on the butt of his service revolver.

Slowing down and putting his arms out from his sides, Colby spoke breathlessly. "Colby Granger. FBI. Car, someone trying to kill me."

"Slow down. Lower your hands slowly and let me see your identification." The older man spoke again.

Colby's arms lowered "Don't have it with me. Jogging."

The younger officer moved closer to Colby, eyeing him suspiciously. "Why don't you move over to the squad car and put your hands on the hood."

Realizing that he needed to play the game, Colby went over and assumed the position. He felt the hands patting him down.

"Alright, he's clean." The younger officer, D. Wilson according to his nametag, took a step back.

"So what's this about a car?" The older cop, a sergeant according to the stripes on his sleeve, questioned.

"I was jogging and a car tried to run me over. They missed and as I was coming down that alley they started shooting at me." Colby's heart had stopped racing and with the decrease in adrenaline, the pain of his shredded palms and knees made themselves known.

"Why would someone want to kill you? Seems like kind of hard to swallow." Officer Wilson sounded skeptical.

"I'm an agent with the FBI and it could be one of my cases."

"You got a case here in Rockford? We haven't heard of any of you federal guys being called in for something." The older man seemed miffed.

"No, I'm here visiting Rachel Willons. I'm staying here for several days."

"Rachel Willons you say? Why don't we go down to the station until we can verify your story."

Sighing to himself, Colby followed the officers to their car and climbed into the back. 'I hope this is my last time in the back of a cruiser.' He thought to himself and began picking small pieces of rock out of his scraped hands.

Minutes later they pulled into the Rockford Police Department parking lot and Colby waited patiently for the rear door to be opened for him. Once out, the group continued into the police department. Colby could feel the curious stares from the other officers as they made their way to a small office.

Sergeant Dolan, the older of the two motioned for Colby to have a seat. "So, tell me again about this alleged car."

Trying to keep his anger in check, Colby looked at the sergeant and asked in an even tone, "Call Rachel Willons please and talk to her, she can vouch for me."

"Kind of late to be calling out to the Willons and waking them up. In the morning I could call them."

"I'm sure Rachel won't mind. I also need to warn her, this may involve her as well."

"Alright, you wait here and I'll be back in a few minutes." Both officers left, leaving Colby to stew.

Very shortly a slightly repentant Sergeant Dolan returned, "Rachel wants to talk to you. She's on line two." He pointed to the phone on the wall. "When you're done I'd like to take to you." He left the room, giving Colby privacy for his call.

"I'm sorry we had to wake you Rachel." Colby apologized.

"Don't be sorry. How are you? Ted said you were banged up a bit." Rachel's tone was questioning.

"Ted?"

"Sergeant Ted Dolan. He and Dad go way back. He's kind of like that Uncle I never had. So? How are you?"

"Just scrapes, nothing that will kill me. I'm worried though about that fact that someone knows I'm in Rockford and is trying for me." Colby ran a hand through his hair. "I'm really worried however that it might have something to do with the Prophet. It's like I told you before, my current case seems to have ties to the church and they have made threats."

"Are you sure that it wasn't just a bad driver?" She replied, not wanting to believe that the Prophet was once again in her life.

"A bad driver doesn't reverse to try again or do they shoot at you. I'm serious Rachel, you need to be careful." Colby's voice was serious.

"Alright. So are we still on for tomorrow?" She hoped that they were.

"Are you kidding? It's going to take more than this to keep me from enjoying the day with you." Colby smiled. "I'll pick you up around 8:00 a.m.."

"See you in the morning then. Night Colby."

"Sweet dreams Rachel." Colby listened to her hang up. "I love you." He said to the dial tone and then put the phone back on the cradle.

Crossing to the door, he opened it and saw Sergeant Dolan and Officer Wilson talking. Breaking away from the younger man, Dolan offered to drive Colby back to his hotel room.

The ride back was spent with Dolan asking questions about Colby's suspicions. Arriving at the motel the men continued to talk for nearly a half an hour. Colby was getting ready to step out of the vehicle when Dolan grabbed him by the arm.

"I think it's fair to warm you son, that around here we protect our own. You keep that in mind when dealing with Rachel. If you hurt her, you will need to answer to me. Is that understood?" The officer's eyes were glaring through Colby.

"Understood sir." Colby opened the door and climbed out. Walking over to his door, he opened it and once in he heard the car pull away. Undressing, he climbed into the shower and let the warm water assault his sore muscles. Wrapping a towel around his lean hips he leaned back on the bed to catch one of the late night talk shows. Minutes later he was sound asleep.

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"I can't believe you missed him." The Prophet had been raging since they had returned to the home of a local disciple.

The driver of the car sat with his head down, taking the verbal lashing the Prophet was administering.

"Tomorrow we follow him and strike. I will get my family back if it is the last thing I do!"


	8. Chapter 8

Author's notes: I realize I'm not writing serious fiction here...this story has a certain amount of fluff in it, so hang with me. On a positive note, one of the spoiler sites has given me hope for Colby's future. Celebrate!!!! Thanks to my faithful reviewer! I appreciate you!

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After talking with Colby, Rachel found that she could not get back to sleep. It wasn't that the baby was restless instead it was her own thoughts that were swirling about. Getting out of bed she went over to the desk and pulled out some paper and began to write. She told herself that she was being overly pessimistic, but the threat of Arner Stone inserting himself back into her life was enough to make Rachel realize that she needed to have some plans for the future.

She was up for over two hours and when she was done she had several thick envelopes. Setting them on top of the dresser, she climbed back into bed. This time sleep claimed her although her dreams were intermixed with images of her captivity with Stone.

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_Rachel was talking to him, but he couldn't hear what she was saying. She kept shaking her head and motioning him away from her. He looked down and realized that he was wearing his Army fatigues and had a gun in his hand. Rachel was pointing and when he turned to look at where she was pointing he noticed that several humvees were opening fire on the buildings. He watched as if paralyzed as the gunfire riddled the walls and made its way towards where she was standing. Suddenly finding his voice, he screamed at her to get out. It was with horror that he saw that the person manning the gun was the Prophet Stone. The bullets were making their way towards her when a shrill noise caused him to pause._

The noise persisted and when he realized it was his alarm, Colby awoke with a start. He had fallen asleep with the tv on, but during the night he had roused enough to switch it off. As he rolled over to slap at the clock he felt the sting of his injuries from last night. Sitting up he stretched out his neck and back, hearing a satisfying pop. He flipped the tv back on to catch some of the news.

After watching the main headlines, he got up and stepped into the bathroom to rinse off and shave. He appraised his appearance in the mirror. Other than a bruise on his face, most of his injuries would not be visible. Checking his watch he hurried to get dressed.

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Arner Stone had risen early and prayed. He fervently implored God to help lead him to the answers and to show him the way to go. Most would agree that God had nothing to do with the plan that Stone hatched. Fortunately his followers were so enamored by the dream of ascending at the right hand of the prophet and they were more than willing to agree to the plan.

Sending two men out to shadow the Willons house, Stone remained sequestered. He would wait for the men to contact him and let him know that Rachel had separated herself from her family. Once that happened, their orders were to apprehend her.

Once she was back in his possession, it would be easy for him to convince her to remain by his side. That had been his vision and his prayers would surely be answered; he was the Prophet.

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It was just a few minutes after eight when Colby pulled into the farmyard. Exiting the car, he walked up to the backdoor and knocked. Rachel greeted him and instead of asking him in, she slipped out of the door and yelled a hurried goodbye.

Smiling at him, she explained herself. "If you go in Mom will want to feed you and we will never get out of here."

"No problem. So are you ready to tell me what's the plan for today yet?"

"You drive and I'll navigate." She walked to the car, a definite sway to her hips.

"You're the boss." Colby quipped and walked around and opened her car door. Once she was in, he shut it and rounded the vehicle. He noticed that Renee had come out onto the front porch and was watching their exit. "Bye Mrs. Willons."

"It's Renee. Take care of them and have a good time." She called out.

"I will. I'll have her home before midnight."

"I think it's safe to say she has a later curfew than that. Just be careful." Renee waved and walked back inside.

Climbing into the car, Colby pulled out of the drive and followed the directions that Rachel gave him. A pick-up pulled out of a farm drive further down the road and paced the car into town. Within minutes, the busier traffic of the town obscured the vehicle from Colby's sight; had the agent paid any attention to it.

The next hour was filled with spirited conversation between Colby and Rachel. Being in the car gave them the privacy to talk about any topic that they chose. They alternated between serious conversations and trivial matters.

Several times Rachel had to plead with Colby to stop making her laugh so much. Many of the stories he told about growing up and the trouble he had found himself in had brought tears to her eyes. The image of a five-year old Colby accidentally breaking a shelf full of hand-blown glass vases in a small Mexican shop was too much for her to take. Especially when the proprietor of the shop wanted to keep Colby in lieu of the money. It was only after much haggling that his parents were able to convince the shop owner to accept a fair price for the damage instead of their son.

It was just shy of eleven o'clock when they pulled into the small town of Galena. Rachel had explained about the history of the town and that President Grant had lived in the town for a number of years. The town had reinvented its image and now was full of artisans and antiques.

They parked the car and began walking along the main street; window shopping and entering the occasional shop. A small store caught Colby's eye and he suggested they stop in. Rachel was soon flipping through racks of baby clothes. Colby roamed around the store and stopped short in front of a shelf filled with stuffed animals.

Colby picked up a small blue bear, and while marveling at the softness he found himself lost in a daydream. He saw himself holding a small bundle in blue, a little blonde boy with deep blue eyes.

"Can I help you sir?"

The voice of a salesclerk broke him out of his dream and brought him back to reality. "Um, yes. I'll take this."

"Anything else for you?" The older woman smiled at him. "Is this your first?"

"You can tell?" Colby wondered if he was that transparent.

"When you've worked in a baby store as long as I have you learn to spot them. You've got that dreamy look that tells me you're thinking about that new baby."

"Guilty as charged. Let me check with Rachel." Colby nodded towards the blonde. "She looks like she might have found something. Do card for the clerk. "Did you find everything?" He intoned seriously.

"It's a start." Rachel responded to his teasing.

"Do me a favor and bag this separately please."

The clerk smiled knowingly and took the bear to the counter before approaching Rachel. It was ten minutes later that Rachel finally approached the counter, her arm full of tiny outfits.

Colby smiled at her as he pulled out his credit card for the clerk. "Did you find everything?" He intoned seriously.

"It's a start." Rachel responded to his teasing. "It's so hard to find neutral colors, so when I do I tend to stock up."

Collecting their packages, they made their way back out onto the street. Checking his watch Colby glanced around. "It's about 1:00, what do you say about grabbing some lunch?"

"I could eat a little something. Let's check out Boone's Place down on South Main. They have a great lunch menu."

Taking the sacks from her, Colby followed her down the sidewalk. Passing the lot where they had parked Colby paused to stash the bags in the trunk of the car. Coming across the small bag containing the stuffed teddy bear, Colby decided against putting it into the trunk. Closing the lid he headed back to where Rachel stood.

"What's in the sack?" She inquired as Colby approached her.

"A little something, I'll let you open it when we have lunch."

"Do I get a hint?" Seeing Colby shake his head she continued. "Just a little one? Come on."

"No. I suppose you were the kid that snooped for Christmas presents too?" Colby asked.

"A snooper and a shaker. How about you?"

"Only once. My aunt in California sent me a gift one year and I couldn't wait to open it so when no one was around I opened it and then rewrapped it."

"And?"

"I was so disappointed. I wanted a He-Man watch, but it turned out to be the book of lifesavers. Remember those?" The disappointment was still evident in his voice as he reminisced.

"I do! That was the kind of gift you got in the classroom gift exchange. I loved the butter rum flavored ones." She smiled.

"I was more of a wild cherry kind of guy. I hated the pineapple and lime ones." Colby opened the door to the restaurant.

After being seated and ordering, Colby put the sack in front of Rachel. "I saw it and I couldn't help myself."

She opened the sack and pulled out the plush teddy. "It's adorable." Rachel placed it back into the bag and smiled at the man across from her. "Thank you. For everything."

"I want you to realize I'll do as much as you will let me do Rachel."

Not trusting her voice, Rachel nodded and took a sip of her ice water. They made small talk until the food came. The food was delicious and Colby cleaned his plate and finished the portion that Rachel had left.

Back outside, the couple continued shopping. Reaching the end of the main street they passed by a tattoo parlor. "Did you want to stop and get a tattoo?" Rachel teased.

"I managed to make it through college and the Army without getting inked." Colby confessed.

"I'm surprised. I thought all of you macho types had a hula girl or Mom somewhere on your body." Rachel stopped and rubbed her back.

Noticing her discomfort Colby looked at her with concern. "Are you all right?"

"It's nothing. I didn't sleep well last night and my back is aching a little. I'm sure you're a little sore today as well." She turned the conversation from herself.

"Not too bad. This walking definitely helped limber me up."

"Speaking of walking, my feet are beginning to swell a little. What do you say we start back to the car?"

"Your wish is my command." Colby made a sweeping bow.

Rachel laughed at the gesture. Suddenly her laugh turned to a cry of pain. Her hands went to her back as her knees buckled.

Colby responded immediately by dropping the bags and reaching for her. Helping support her, his tone was worried. "Rachel, tell me what's wrong!"

"I don't know, but," her words cut off as she bent with the pain. "No! It's the baby." She wailed. "I think I'm in labor!"


	9. Chapter 9

Author's notes: Thanks to those that have reviewed and those that are reading. Here we go again!

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It was an overcast morning. It had rained earlier and the skies were threatening to open up again. David and Megan had met in the parking lot and had made their way to the office together.

It had been a late night for David. The case against the Assemblyman had finally taken a positive turn. The forensics team had found hair and DNA in the murdered office assistant's bed; the results had shown that Assemblyman Halstead had left a "deposit" on the sheets. That combined with Lisa Chambers' vaginal secretions gave them a wedge in which they could try to crack Halstead's veneer.

Since the connection between the Assemblyman and Arner Stone seemed concrete, Megan had been working on trying to track the Prophet's trail. Late yesterday security tapes from a gas station had been delivered and today she was planning on watching them.

Glancing at David, she tried to sound unconcerned. "Have you spoken with Colby since he left?"

David, still trying to shake his fatigue didn't seem to notice Megan's tone. "No. Course I didn't expect to. I'm sure he's busy trying to get back into Rachel's good graces. He is sure hung up on her."

Once out of the elevator, Don met them. "Looks like Colby couldn't stay out of trouble."

Concerned, Megan spoke first. "Why Don?"

"Had a call from a police officer in Rockford, Illinois wanting confirmation that Colby was an agent. Seems that someone allegedly tried to run Colby down with a car and shoot him last night."

The two agents both voiced their worry. "Is he ok?" Megan spoke for both her and David.

"Bumps and bruises. They didn't find any trace of the car and they didn't seem to think they would be recovering any bullets from where Colby was shot at."

David spoke up, "It has to do something with this case. They threaten him and now someone tries to take him out."

"Certainly seems like it. Of course," Don paused for a moment. "It could also be an irate father."

Both Megan and David looked perplexed.

Don continued on, "The Sergeant was feeling rather talkative. Seemed that he wanted to know what type of fellow Colby is. According to him, he is good friends with Rachel's family and wants to know if Colby is going to step up and take responsibility for Rachel being pregnant."

The shocked looks on David's and Megan's faces mirror the way Don had felt when he had first heard the news. Neither agent knew what to say.

"Seems that she came back from California expecting a baby and Colby is the father."

Megan was the first to speak. "Are we sure it's Colby's?" She didn't want to believe it. "I mean, she was held captive for several days before Colby rescued her."

"There was nothing in her report about being raped. Colby hinted around to me that they had gotten close." David spoke quietly. "I guess it was really close."

"Let's get a hold of Colby and let him know about the case and see if he thinks that the attack has something to do with the Prophet." Don turned towards his office.

"I'll get on the videotapes and see if I can put the prophet in the vicinity." Megan headed towards her own desk.

Left standing by himself, David puzzled over the news. Shaking his head he turned and trailed after Megan.

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Bending close to Rachel and helping to support her, Colby spoke urgently to her. "Should I call an ambulance or go and get the car?"

"I felt a really strong pressure, but it's gone now." Rachel straightened back up and took a tentative breath. "I'm o.k, go and get the car. I think I need to get to the hospital. I'm not sure but I think my water broke, I feel like I've wet myself." She replied somewhat embarrassedly. Dropping her voice since she saw that several people were observing them she continued. "I can't see; are my pants wet? They feel damp."

Trying to look without drawing more attention, he whispered back. "A small spot. Will you be fine if I hurry to the car?"

"Yes, go. I'll sit here and wait."

"Excuse me," A middle-aged woman approached tentatively. "Do you folks need some help?"

Colby smiled politely, "Yes, could you wait with her will I go and get our car?"

"I'd be glad to." Turning to Rachel she asked, "Is this your first baby?"

Rachel nodded as she rubbed her lower back. The ache that had been there all day had become more pronounced. "It's too early though. I'm not due for weeks yet." Her voice betrayed her worry.

"Sometimes babies just know best when to show up. Your husband will get you to the hospital and they will take good care of you. I'd recommend Finley, it's up on Bartel Boulevard. If you follow Franklin Street up it will lead you there." The woman pointed in the direction of the road.

Gritting her teeth as another sharp pain hit, Rachel noticed that Colby was pulling up alongside the building. The door slammed as he got out and hurried around to her side. He opened the door and along with the Good Samaritan, helped Rachel into the car. Looking at the woman, Colby started to thank her for her help.

"Don't worry about it." She shooed him along. "Just get her to the hospital and keep her calm."

Hoping back in, Colby drove as quickly as he could to the hospital. Pulling up the emergency room entrance, they were met by attendants. Within minutes they were both in an examination room waiting for the doctor. Rachel had been helped into a gown and eased into a reclining position on the examination table. A nurse placed a monitor on Rachel's belly, the heart beat of the baby suddenly audible.

Colby stood by her side holding her hand, his thumb made tiny circles, lightly caressing her skin. "Listen to that beat, everything is going to be alright."

"Could you call my parents?" Rachel asked him. "They will wonder where we are at."

"I'll wait until the doctor tells us what's going on. That way I can fill them in because they'll want to know."

"Alright." She tensed up as the sharp pain in her back again returned. "I haven't even started really thinking about names. I was planning on waiting and seeing if there were any that you liked."

Colby was a little taken aback. It had seemed to him that Rachel had almost written him off when it came to the parenting role, but seeing that she had thought about his input gave him hope. He thought for a moment, "I guess I never really thought about it."

"That's the difference between men and women. I've known women who had their baby names picked out in high school."

"High school! You're kidding, right?" Colby was amused.

"Serious. I just never let myself dream about that part of my future. I didn't want to jinx it."

A tap on the door announced the arrival of the doctor. Entering along with a nurse the doctor introduced himself, "Good afternoon, I'm Doctor Zelesky, the obstetrician on call. They tell me that we might be having a baby."

Another pain caused Rachel to grit her teeth. "Yes."

"Let me take a look and we'll see what we've got going." The doctor move around and spoke with them as he worked. "I'm checking for the presence of amniotic fluid. The nurse said you thought your water broke. I'm going to collect a little of the fluid here and I'll test it right away." He moved over to the counter and opened a drawer. "A drop on here will tell us" he paused a moment, "and we have amniotic fluid. How long have you been having any contractions?"

"I'm not sure. None I thought until a little while ago and then it all hit me."

"No cramping or other pains?"

"Not really, my back has been sore. I think I might have pulled something or strained it because it's been twinging."

"That sounds like back labor my dear." The doctor moved over to the counter and pulled out a pair of latex gloves. "Let's take a look and see where you're at." He moved around to the end of the examination table. "Well, it feels like you are right around three centimeters, so you have a ways to go yet." The doctor tossed the gloves into the trash.

"If you can, I'd like you up and walking around so that the labor will possibly speed up. Considering the fact you are early, the baby seems to do just fine. We'll want to keep an eye on that, but I don't see any cause for concern." Patting Rachel on the knee he continued, "Don't worry, before you know it the two of you will be trying to decide who will change the diaper."

The doctor left and the nurse moved about, unhooking the monitor. "We'll get you set up in one of the birthing rooms and then you can start doing some of that walking that the doctor mentioned."

Colby looked at Rachel and smiled reassuringly. "I'll step out and give your parents a call. Do you need anything?"

"No, tell them I'm fine. Do you mind if they come up and stay for the birth?"

He felt crushed; he had hoped to be the one in with Rachel. Instead it seemed her parents would be attending her. "No, I mean it's fine with me."

Rachel picked up on his mood and quickly understood. "I want you in the delivery room. Mom and Dad will be in the waiting room, but I know they'll want to see the baby as soon as they can."

He felt silly; he had jumped to conclusions. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm still worried about overstepping my bounds."

"It's alright. Just remember I want you to be a part of the baby's life. You never need to worry about overstepping anything." Rachel smiled at him and reached for his hand. Taking it, she gave it a light squeeze. "I want you here too."

Smiling, Colby squeezed back. "I'll step out quickly and call your parents. I'll see you in a minute or two."

Colby exited the room and walked out into the waiting area. A handful of others were also waiting, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible Colby opened his cell phone and started making calls.

Two men were sitting and reading magazines. As if on cue they glanced up at each other. The one nodded and the other stood up and walked to the doors leading outside. Once outside and away from other's hearing, he placed a call.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's notes: Ah, the long weekend and I still didn't find time to write! I hope you like it.

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The day gave way to night. Rachel's parents had arrived and were taking up residence in the waiting room. Rachel had walked the halls with Colby until she could no longer stand during the contractions. They were shown to a room that would also be used as the delivery room and Rachel climbed into the bed and tried to find a comfortable position.

It was just after one in the morning when the doctor came back in and announced that Rachel was nearing 10cm and would need to start pushing.

Earlier in the evening, Rachel had expressed her fear of not knowing what to do because she had not yet taken a birthing class. One of the nurses reassured her with a pat on the hand. "Don't worry honey, women have been having babies for thousands of years and it just comes naturally. Besides, I'll be here with you and I'll tell you what to do."

After that Rachel relaxed and focused on breathing. Colby remained by her side, holding her hand and giving her the encouragement that she needed.

It was almost four a.m. when Colby exited the delivery room and sought out Paul and Renee. The smile on his face spoke volumes as the couple stood up, their own excitement evident.

"It's a girl!"

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It was just after two in the morning, David was sitting behind the wheel and Megan was riding shotgun. They had been watching the Assemblyman's house since dusk. The DNA had shown that the politician had been in bed with his assistant. The fact that the assistant had been found murdered, made both agents feel that their suspect was becoming desperate.

"David, what do you think about this Colby stuff." Megan found that she had a hard time thinking about the possible pregnancy, let alone saying it aloud.

"It seems sudden, but if he just found out I'm sure he's trying to deal with it the best he can. For some reason I don't see him as the type that would turn his back on a child or even the woman." David thought a little longer. "I think he would want a real relationship with the kid. I could see them out camping or whatever passes for fun in Idaho."

Megan had to agree. Colby wasn't the kind of guy that would walk away. Her eyes prickled with tears, she thanked God that the vehicle was dark and that David couldn't see them. Waiting a moment so that her voice wouldn't tremble, she commented. "I wonder if he'll invite us to the wedding."

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Colby led Paul and Renee back to the room. Rachel was sitting up and was holding a bundle wrapped in pink. Smiling at her parents, she looked down at the red, blotchy infant that was cradled in her arms; she was the most beautiful baby in the world.

Renee sat on the edge of the bed and tenderly touched the baby's hand. With a shaking voice she spoke quietly. "Rachel, she is so perfect."

"She's adorable sweetheart." Paul chimed in.

Rachel smiled at them both and then at Colby, her eyes filled with tears. She was so happy that words escaped her.

Realizing that Colby was quietly standing to the rear, Renee turned and held out her hand. "Congratulations Colby."

"She is a miracle isn't she?" Colby moved to the bedside and looked at his baby daughter. Her eyes were tightly closed and the rosebud of a mouth was puckered up.

A nurse entered the room and smiled at the sight of the happy family. "Are you wanting the baby to go to the nursery?"

Rachel looked at Colby questioningly. He returned the silent question with a shrug of his shoulders. Renee watched the interplay and smiled to herself. "I'd recommend letting her stay in the nursery overnight. Let yourself get a little rest while you have the chance. When you are at home there won't be a nurse."

"Sounds reasonable Rachel." Colby looked at the dark smudges beneath her eyes, his own feeling like they were loaded with sand.

"Alright. Will you bring her in for me to feed in the morning?" Rachel reluctantly gave up the bundle.

"Not a problem. Why don't you and your husband get some rest and I'll get her down to the nursery."

No one corrected the nurse's mistake and the woman left the room with the newborn. With kisses and hugs, Paul and Renee left the two and departed for the hotel room that they had rented earlier in the evening.

Left alone, Colby and Rachel looked at each other; neither one knowing what to say next. Colby cleared his throat, "I'll go out to the lobby and catch some z's."

"The couch in here pulls out, why don't you just stay in here?" Rachel suggested.

"Are you sure?"

"I am. I would like you in here with me." She smiled tiredly. "I also should let you know how much I appreciate you being here. It meant a lot."

Colby leaned over the bed and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek. "I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Thank you."

Sliding down into the bed, Rachel pulled the blanket up. "Good night Colby."

"Night. Sweet dreams." Colby pulled out the couch and found the pillows and blanket. He shut off the lights, climbed into bed and allowed sleep to take him.

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It was just after seven when noise from the hall roused Colby. Still disorientated from the deep sleep, he could only blink stupidly as the lights were flipped on.

Two nurses had entered the room and were looking around frantically. Rachel had awoken as well and was rubbing her eyes as she tried to make sense of the scene.

Colby's voice was scratchy with sleep, "What's going on?"

The older of the two nurses turned towards him and with a frightened look plastered to her face she spoke urgently. "Your daughter is missing from the nursery."

Author's note: Evil laugh!!! A cookie for those smarties that saw that coming!


	11. Chapter 11

Author's notes: When it rains it pours. Not only am I at my busiest time of the school year, but also my elderly father is in the hospital. Dang, I'm waiting to get struck by lightening or something.

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The slightly panicked look on the younger nurse as she looked around the room spoke of her anxiety. Colby wondered why they were searching the room; as if he or Rachel would have hidden away their daughter. "How long has she been missing?" He tried to shake off his fatigue.

"The new shift had just come in and during a routine bed check we found it empty. The last check would have been at 5 a.m." The older nurse seemed to be regaining her composure as she spoke. Turning to the other nurse she issued orders. "Go and check the other obstetric patients."

"What type of security is in the nursery?" Colby inquired as he bent over and tied his shoes. He could see Rachel maneuvering herself to the edge of the bed.

"The door is locked from the outside and the stairway doors have alarms on them."

"Newborns aren't given a monitoring bracelet?"

"We've never had this problem before." The nurse was a little defensive.

"Someone grab me my clothes!" Rachel had stood and was looking around for where the nurses might have placed her clothes.

Colby moved to her side, "Hey, easy there. I don't know if you should be up just yet."

The nurse echoed the remark, "The doctor won't release you that quick."

Shaking off the comments, Rachel continued around the foot of the bed moving towards the closet. "This is my baby and I'll be damned if I'm going to lay here while she's missing."

Realizing that he wouldn't win this argument, Colby went over to assist her with the quest for her clothes. "Have you called the police?"

"I called up security. I wanted to check in here first." The nurse moved to the door. "I'll let them know and we'll call right away."

"I'm FBI, let your security know that and the first thing we are going to want to see is the surveillance tapes, I'm assuming you have security cameras." Colby's tone was terse. He still couldn't believe someone could walk out of a hospital with a stolen baby.

"I don't know. Ken Griffin is the head of security and he can tell you more." She exited the room, leaving the two worried parents alone.

Tears lined Rachel's face as she slipped on her maternity pants, now slightly droopy. "I shouldn't have let them take her to the nursery. If she had been in here this never would have happened."

Colby crossed the room and took her into his arms, wrapping her up tightly and pressing close to her. "I encouraged you. Don't beat yourself up over this. If it was our baby they wanted they would have found a way."

"You think this is about us?" Her voice shook.

"I don't see what else it could be at this point. It doesn't sound like there is much of a problem with baby snatching here in Galena."

"It's him isn't it?" Rachel pushed out of Colby's arms. "It's him and now she is being punished for what you and I did."

"Listen Rachel," Colby grabbed her as she tried to evade his grasp; his voice was hard. "We did nothing wrong. Stone is a sick man and we will catch him. He will never hurt us again."

A light cough alerted both to the presence of a man standing in the doorway. "I'm Ken Griffin, head of security. If you're ready, let's go to my office. I've requested the tapes from 4 a.m. until 7 a.m. be brought up."

With a strong arm protecting her, the couple followed behind.

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He had been overjoyed. The plan had gone better than he had expected. A follower had accosted a maintenance worker and in short order he had tied him up and switched out clothes. No one pays attention to the people who clean. With the help of a distracting phone call placed by one of the disciples waiting in the car, the nurse responsible for watching the newborns turned her attention to searching for information instead of supervising the cleaning staff.

Placing the baby into a blanket-lined trashcan, the phony custodian left the room without looking back. Moments later he wheeled his cart onto the elevator and descended to the basement. Exiting a loading dock, he hurried to the waiting car.

The man in the back had excitedly reached for the bundle. Pulling back the blanket he looked upon the sleeping infant. "My daughter!"

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As they approached his office, a police officer with the local force arrived. After making introductions, the group went into the office. The officer explained that others were now upstairs looking over the "crime scene" and that they had alerted the local authorities. He tried to reassure the couple, but his words didn't hold the hope that either was looking for.

Griffin popped the tapes into a player and the images came up on the screen. Colby pulled up a chair for Rachel, who sat down gingerly. They hadn't watched for long when the image of a man in a gray work uniform was seen entering the nursery. Both Colby and Rachel held their breath, the grainy image showed the man stopping in front of a bassinet and lifting out a baby. The man turned slightly, offering up a distorted view, and then laid the baby into the trashcan.

"Who is that employee?" Colby asked quickly.

Consulting a print out, the security chief replied. "Cecil O'Neil." Speaking into his portable radio he contacted one of the security officers. "I need you to find Cecil O'Neil and bring him up to my office. Be looking to see if he has an infant with him."

"Do you have any cameras at the exits?" Colby inquired, watching Rachel stare transfixed at the frozen image on the screen.

"The main exits and on the outside of the building. Lets take a look at what we have." Griffin switched out the tapes and they started fast-forwarding through the footage.

It was several minutes later when Griffin's radio called for him. The voice of the guard came across clearly, "You're not going to believe it Ken. We just found Ceil tied up in the laundry room."

"Is he alright?"

"We're taking him up to the emergency room, who ever tied him up rang his bell pretty good."

Colby spoke, "Ask if he saw who did it."

"Did he see his assailant?"

"He doesn't know what happened. I asked him a couple of times and he's confused."

"Thanks, let me know what the doctor says." Ken turned back to the couple. "Let's keep looking at these tapes."

"I want you to get someone on that image of the kidnapper. They should be able to tighten up the image and run it through a facial recognition program and see if it matches anyone in the data base." Colby was already pulling out his cell phone. "I'm going to call one of my friends, I think he might be able to help with this."

"I can assure you that we will bring in all of the manpower that we need." The police officer had been making notes in his notebook.

"Well excuse me if I'm not overly optimistic." Colby stepped from the room. "Charlie? I'm sorry to wake you. I need your help."

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They had driven to the home of the disciple who had manned the wheel. Wrapping the blanket securely around the baby, he carried the sleeping bundle into the house. Inside they were greeted by a dour faced woman and four small children eating breakfast.

"This is my wife, Melissa."

"It's an honor to meet you sir. My parents were followers of your father's, that is until we moved here to Illinois to start a new settlement."

"Bless you child. It is through the faith of those such as you that our kingdom will be laid out for the true believers here on earth. I would ask your help in taking care of my infant daughter."

"I would be honored Prophet Stone." The woman reached for the baby, "What is her name?"

"I've named her Rebecca."

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He hurried down the steps with a hastily packed bag over his shoulder, his hair still disheveled from the pillow that it had recently been buried in. Once downstairs he began to pack up the laptop computer that was resting on the table.

The kitchen door suddenly opened and his father entered the room carrying a cup of coffee and the paper. "Charlie? You're up early today."

"I'm on my way to the airport. My cab should be here in 20 minutes."

"Airport? What's going on? You didn't mention any trips." Alan sat down the paper and the cup. He looked at his youngest son, his eyes questioning.

"It's an emergency. Colby called from Illinois. Someone kidnapped his baby."

"Baby? Colby? What's going on?"

"Have a seat Dad, it's going to take a while."


	12. Chapter 12

Author's note: Sorry for the delay. We moved my Dad into a nursing home and have been busy with all of the work associated with that. Here is the next chapter. Thanks

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Charlie spent the time until the cab would arrive filling in his father about the frantic phone call he had received earlier that morning.

"Does Donny know you're going to Illinois?" Alan was still a little fuzzy on the details of this trip.

"I was planning on calling him on the way to the airport." Charlie was a little sheepish, maybe he should have planned on calling Don sooner and letting him know. After all Colby was member of Don's team. Was it jealously? Was it the fact that for once someone thought to need him first instead of it being where they turned to as the last resort?

Giving him a disapproving look, Alan remained silent. He knew that Charlie sometimes felt like an outsider when helping Don with a case. Because when it was all said and done, Charlie went back to Cal Sci and the team remained just that, a team. Being a genius didn't matter, because he was always going to be Don's baby brother. What Charlie didn't see was that Don's team did feel like Charlie was a valuable member of their group.

"Colby already has the support of the local FBI office; he wants me there to run the numbers." Charlie was now feeling defensive and it leached into his voice and stance.

"I'm just saying that Don is not only Colby's boss, but a friend as well. He would want to know." Alan watched the emotions play across the face of his youngest child. What he was going to say next was interrupted by the sharp blast of the taxi's horn.

"I've got to go; I'll be cutting it close as it is. I'll call you when I know more." Charlie hoisted his bags and headed for the door. "I'll also call Don. Bye Dad."

"Take care and tell Colby I'll be thinking about them." Alan watched the door shut. Hopefully Charlie wouldn't be needed and that Colby's child would be found safe. Colby's child. That was going to take some getting use to.

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It had been four hours already. They had viewed the tapes and had not found any additional footage showing the kidnapper. It was during that first hour when the police that were speculating on motive and destination that Colby decided to call Charlie. If anyone from the team could piece together the sketchy information and put together a plan, it was the wiz kid.

It would be another two hours at least until Charlie would arrive. He was flying into the Quad Cities Airport and then was being driven to Galena. Charlie had also let Colby know that Don had volunteered to fly out if Colby wanted any help from the rest of the team.

Feeling guilty that he didn't think to contact Don, Colby quickly placed a call to his supervisor. It had been a short call; Colby was unable to talk much for fear that the tremble in his voice would betray him. Don had again pledged the assistance of the entire team if Colby wanted them there. Colby assured Don that it was all being competently handled by the local, knowing that the likelihood of the three of them being able to get the time off was slim. With a promise to keep them posted, Colby hung up and went in search of a hot coffee. He was running on pure adrenaline and he was afraid if he sat down he wouldn't get back up.

Rachel's parents had been called and were now at the hospital. Both had been shocked by the news and they were trying to remain optimistic. Rachel had shaken some of her original distress and was currently looking at a list of known church members that were living in the Midwest.

Colby had attached himself to the local FBI agent and the two were looking over the data that was coming in from the supporting agencies. A representative of the hospital walked over to the two men, "Mr. Granger? I have a call waiting for you. The caller said it was urgent."

Walking over to the closest hospital phone, Colby punch the flashing extension. "Granger here." The voice was familiar and it took a moment for it to register. "Hello Rob. Your parents are here with Rachel; did you want to speak with them?" Colby was a little unsure as to why Rachel's brother chose him to speak with. Especially since their introduction the other evening had been a little chilly.

"Colby, I know that you are aware of the fact that our family was members of the Apostolistic Saints and we moved here when Rachel and I were young. What no one around here knows is that I had kept in touch with several of the guys that are still members. Several of them moved to the Midwest several years ago and the other day one of them called me to talk to me about something he had heard about."

The sinking feeling that Colby was experiencing was warranted as Rob continued speaking. "Supposedly the Prophet showed up the other day and was talking about how he was planning to reunite with his family."

"Why didn't you say something to Rachel or me?" Colby's disbelief that Rob wouldn't have been forthcoming with such important information was evident in his voice.

"Wait a minute, are you saying this is my fault?" Rob was defensive.

Rubbing the tension that was pulling on his forehead, Colby closed his eyes momentarily as he quickly formulated his answer. "No Rob. In fact this might give us something to go. We have an image from the security camera. I want you to take a look at it. Are you by a computer? We can download a copy of it. I also want to get a list of these friends and their addresses. I'm going to put you on with another agent and let you give them your information."

"Colby," Rob spoke quickly, his anger defused. "Will you tell Rachel I'm sorry? I should have said something."

He was so weary that he couldn't muster the anger and frustration that he felt. "I will Rob. Hold on a minute." Colby gave the phone to the agent closest to him. "Can you take this information please and get someone on it as quickly as possible." Colby walked out of the room and headed down to the room that contained Rachel and her parents.

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There were four little faces peaking from the second floor landing as they watched their mother rock the baby that had been brought into their home. Angela, their older sister had been allowed downstairs to help Mother, but they had been told to go upstairs to play and to stay up there until lunch time. That was alright with them. Daddy had friends over and some of them were scary.

In the kitchen, a small group of men were scattered around the table listening to Stone talk about his recent persecution by the FBI. The men were sympathetic and the talk of retribution ignited the anger that many of them felt towards the government.

"They will try to remove my family from me. They have done it time and time again. Look at the way they have attacked other peaceful groups, Waco should have been the wake-up call, Ruby Ridge should have been the wake-up call. When will America wake up and realize that it is being slowly strangled by the laws and rules of the oppressors?" Stone pounded on the table, his eyes glazed over as he spouted his rhetoric. "When they come for your family, what will you do? How will you protect them? How far are you willing to go to ensure that you can enjoy the freedoms given to you by our founding fathers?" He paused and allowed his words to impact his disciples. "If you will fight for your family, will you fight for your church family?"

The men around the table voiced their agreement. Their voices rose with the emotions that the Prophet had stirred in them.

"I ask for you to stand and protect the family; whatever the outcome and whatever the cost. Will you stand with me?" Stone stood and looked around at his followers.

The first man stood, and then the others joined quickly. They spoke loudly of their commitment.

Stone smiled his grin feral and evil looking. "Then we prepare for the onslaught."

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Charlie's trip had been uneventful and he was now in a car driven by an agent from the Moline area. The two men had compared notes on what they currently knew about the case. Charlie had pulled out his laptop and started working on inputting the data.

It was mid-afternoon when they drove into Galena. Entering the hospital they were shown to the conference room where the base of operations had been set up.

Spotting the curly-haired professor, Colby rushed over to greet him. "Charlie! I'm really glad you could come. I need your help."

Charlie looked at his friend and was immediately struck by the weary look and fatigue evident on Colby's face. "Glad to help. What do you have for me?"


	13. Chapter 13

Author's notes:

So Charlie's on the job and as always I don't understand his math, but it gets the job done. For that reason I will not go into elaborate detail over the "how", but instead focus on the end product!

Don't forget to review. I thank everyone reading and especially those reviewing. They are greatly appreciated and admired.

An update, my Dad's in a nursing home and loving it! Now the task of boxing up 65 years (how long he's lived in this house) of stuff and deciding what to do with it. Anyone need ugly Home Interior Butterflies? I've got a few!!!!

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Between Colby and the other agents, they brought Charlie up to speed as quickly as they could. Setting up shop on a folding table that had been brought into the conference room, Charlie began inputting information hoping to find something. Colby stalked around the room, glancing over Charlie's shoulder trying to see if his friend had made the connection yet.

"Stone is behind this Charlie." Colby spoke as he looked at the information spread out in front of the young genius. "From what Rob told us, it's been verified that Stone is here in Illinois. We just have to find out where he's hiding. Find him and we find the baby."

Nodding his head, Charlie picked up another document. "I realize that Colby, I just need to cross reference this information with the other variables."

Spinning on his heel, Colby acknowledged Charlie's comment and continued with his pacing. Every few minutes he would stop behind Charlie's chair to gaze at the work.

"Colby," Charlie replied after thirty minutes. "I need to concentrate. Why don't you take a break and I'll have them get you when I find something."

With a dejected air, Colby left the room and sought out Rachel. Seeing her mother, he approached and inquired about Rachel's whereabouts.

"She is sleeping. The doctor gave her a sleeping pill. He was worried about her."

"My friend Charlie is here now. I'm hoping that he'll be able to make some sense of this." Colby hadn't told her about the call from her son. "I think I'll go downstairs and grab a fresh coffee. I'll be back in a little while."

"No problem, I think Rachel will be out for a while."

Colby had found the cafeteria and purchased a cup of coffee. On his way back upstairs he noticed a sign for the hospital chapel. He hesitated for a moment and then turned and followed the arrow directing the way. Pushing open the door, he was struck by the beauty of the small room. The sun lit the stained glass windows and patches of blue, red and gold decorated the simple pews.

Sitting his coffee down, he took a seat. Bowing his head, he spoke silently. 'God. I know it's been a while since you've seen me in a place like this. Even if I haven't been to church, I've tried to follow your teachings. I don't want you to think that I'm asking this for myself, but I'm asking for Rachel and the baby. Rachel has gone through so much that I would like to spare her from this heartache. As for the baby, she is such an innocent pawn. Please keep her safe.'

Repeating his request over and over, Colby found his eyes growing heavy. Within minutes he had nodded off to sleep, his head resting in his hands.

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Charlie had started weeding through the information and had discarded many of the items that did not fit within the matrices he had selected. It was like looking at a picture of random lines and suddenly seeing the hidden object; Charlie knew where the kidnappers had to be.

"Colby! I've got it!" Charlie turned in his chair expecting to see the worried agent hovering; waiting for the answer. The other agents looked up with questioning looks at the math professor. Searching the room and not seeing Colby, Charlie walked over to the lead agent. "I'm sure that this would be the place that Stone would choose, we need to find Colby and move on it."

"I haven't seen him in a while. I'll try paging him." The local agent moved to the phone and placed a call.

It was ten minutes later when a blurry eyed Colby returned to the room. In an anxious tone he spoke to Charlie. "You've got something?"

"I've got it narrowed down to the place that Stone would most likely be held up at. I told Agent Pape and he is working on getting his men ready for a raid on the property."

"Raid! I've seen what bringing in force can do. Stone will sacrifice his people without a second thought. I think it would be better to try and go in with just a handful of agents and try to take them by surprise. We roll up with everything we got and it will be a bloodbath." Colby's tone was venomous.

The local agents stood quietly during Colby's tirade. The lead agent, Jim Pape, waited until he was sure that Colby was not going to add more. "I appreciate your past experience with this Agent Granger, however you must also realize that we are not in California. The likelihood of a so called massacre is pretty farfetched."

Colby tried to contain his anger. Knowing that if he remained he would either do or say something he would more than likely regret later, he bolted out of the room. In the hall he saw Rachel making her way towards him. She had changed from the hospital gown and into a pair of scrubs. Her hair was pulled back from her face and dark shadows circled her eyes.

She saw the furious expression on his face and immediately thought the worse. "Colby! Did they find her? What's wrong?" Rachel rushed to him; her eyes pleading for the answer and fearing the worse.

"No, I'm sorry Rachel." Colby pulled her close for support. "Charlie thinks he knows where Stone is hold up. The local guy Pape wants to organize a raid."

"Is he crazy? Stone doesn't care what happens to those around him. What happened in California will happen again!" Rachel pulled away, "We've got to make him see."

"It's no use. He thinks we are a couple of distraught parents who don't know anything." Colby's anger was continuing to build. "They are going to go ahead and bust into the place and damned the consequences."

"We can't let him do this!" Rachel turned suddenly. "Where's Charlie? I want to know where Stone is!"

"What are you thinking Rachel?"

"I'm going to bring my baby home Colby. I'm going to put that bastard in the ground where he belongs." Rachel replied vehemently. "Will you come with me?"

Colby paused for a moment. A raid would definitely end in bloodshed. If he and Rachel could move in and surprise them, it might be possible to get the baby and prevent the inevitable loss of life. "I'll get him."

Walking back into the room Colby could see the local agents clustered around the large table discussing possible plans. Spying Charlie at the computer, Colby eased his way over to him and spoke in a quiet voice. "Charlie. I need to talk to you in the hallway." He turned and left, knowing that the young professor would follow.

Once the two men were in the hall, Colby turned and spoke. "They're doing this wrong Charlie. Someone will get hurt. Rachel and I need your help."

Not yet understanding where Colby was going with all this, Charlie looked puzzled. "How?"

"We're going to get to Stone's hiding place and we'll need you to help us figure out what will be our best approach. You've looked at the aerial information and you can fill us in on the way there." Colby turned to Rachel. "We'll need some fire power. My gun is locked in the car's trunk, is there someplace we can get you one?"

"I'm part boy scout. I have mine in my purse." Rachel started towards her room.

Colby raised an eyebrow and looked at Charlie, a ghost of a smile playing about his lips. "I love a woman who packs a gun in her purse, just in case." He followed Rachel.

Charlie was apprehensive; he knew that the local agents hadn't given much consideration to Colby's experience handling Stone before. The idea of the three of them taking on a madman was disconcerting. He glanced back at the door, wondering if he should alert the others to the plan. Realizing that he believed in Colby's abilities, he ducked back into the room and grabbed his lap top. Back in the hall he followed the route to the blonde woman's room.

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Within minutes the trio had left the hospital and were making their way towards a small blip on Charlie's laptop GPS program. It would take them about forty-five minutes to reach the small farm located in the rolling foothills of the Mississippi River. During this time Charlie spoke about the layout of the farm.

Colby was driving, glancing over frequently to look at the satellite photos and giving tactical suggestions for when they arrived. "I can see how your NSA clearance a bonus for us." He referred to the fact that Charlie had been able to access a large storehouse of information that was available only to someone with a high security clearance. "It does worry me a little to think the government is busy taking photos of everyone's house."

"It's debatable, but right now I'm glad I was able to obtain it." The genius glanced at the screen. "Looks like the turn off is up here, County Road D-14. We should be about ten minutes out."

Rachel who had been quietly taking in everything spoke up from the back. "We haven't named her yet."

"I know." Colby glanced back into the rearview mirror; Rachel's expression was one of profound grief. "I guess I thought you probably already had a name you liked. Have you?"

"We should name her in case something happens."

With fierceness in his voice, Colby replied. "The only thing that's going to happen is we will be bringing our little girl back home with us. We beat Stone before and this time it will be for good."

Tears filled Rachel's eyes. "I'm just afraid that I'll never get to hold her again. That Stone is going to do everything in his power to keep her from me."

"I promise you Rachel, we will bring her home. I need you to be strong." Colby was worried; perhaps he had overestimated Rachel's physical and mental strength. After all, she had given birth less than 24 hours ago and her baby had been stolen by a crazed zealot. "Can I count on you Rachel?" He looked backwards again.

Wiping her eyes, Rachel sniffed and nodded. "I'm ready."

"Good." Colby looked towards his friend. "How much further Charlie?"

"There is a road that runs parallel to the farm; it would be to the rear of the property. It would put you less than a mile from the farmstead."

"The rear has the large stand of trees correct?" Colby glanced over again.

Pulling up the image he spoke of, Charlie nodded. "Yes, here is where we could pull off the road and you can access the property."

Turning the car onto the final road, Colby took a deep breath. "When we get there I want you to stay with the car Charlie."

"What!" The curly haired professor sputtered. "You need every hand you can find."

"I don't want to explain to your big brother if I somehow let you get hurt." Colby tried to play it off lightly, but it failed. "I need someone to hang back and let the local know what's going down."

"That's a terrible idea and you know it Granger. I can hold my own if need be."

Rachel spoke up. "Pehaps Charlie could help out. Is there a road that runs to the front of the farm isn't there?"

"Yes. The house sits about a quarter of a mile from the roadway. Since it is gravel they probably don't get much traffic by here except for the locals." Charlie turned to look at her.

"Colby, why can't we use Charlie as a distraction? We get close to the house and then Charlie directs their attention to the road and we hit them from the back." Rachel leaned forward slightly.

"I don't know. Charlie would be a possible target and he doesn't have any protection."

"He doesn't need to. Stop the car in the driveway, don't go in though. Pretend you have a flat. Make a real production out of it. They will keep their eyes focused on him and that will let us get closer. Charlie will have the car between them and him, plus he'll hear shots if things start going south on us."

Colby frowned, he didn't like the idea of putting his friend and boss's brother in harms way. The idea had merit. He just wished it was someone other that Charlie. After turning it around in his mind for a few minutes, he nodded. "Alright."

"Good," said Charlie, "because here is where you need to get out. The house will be right over that rise."

Pulling the car over, all three got out. Rachel and Colby checked their guns and flicked on the safety. Charlie moved to the driver's seat and started the car back up. "How long should I give you?"

"Give us a ten minute head start and then you can drive to the farm. Be careful Charlie." The burly agent looked at his friend with concern in his eyes. "Don't take any foolish chances."

"I'll tell you the same thing."

Colby placed his hand through the open window and onto Charlie's shoulder. "If you hear shooting, I want you to drive away and call the cops immediately."

"I will."

"Alright, let's go Rachel." Colby slid down into the ditch and walked to the fence. He helped a slower moving Rachel across and then climbed over it himself.

Charlie watched as the pair soon blended into the woods. The light was beginning to wane and with in moments they were lost in the darkening shadows of the trees. Looking at his watch, Charlie decided to call his brother and let him in on what was going down. Even though he wasn't here, Charlie felt Don might be able to help. With trepidation, Charlie dialed his phone.


	14. Chapter 14

Author's notes: Sorry it has been so long. Between cleaning out and then repainting my Dad's house and directing the school play….it's been a long October. Tonight we tore down the set, so I'm done with the play!!!!! So, here is the next chapter, hot off the press!

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Charlie started the car and looked for a spot to reverse his direction. Seeing a place, he pulled into a small field driveway and drove back to the crossroad that would take him to the front of the property.

He had just pulled onto the other road when his brother finally picked up. "Don." He blurted, cutting off his brother's greeting. "I don't have a lot of time, I'm sure I've pinpointed Stone's location. The local office is getting a raid lined up, but Colby and Rachel are going in. They think a large group will force a standoff and we know Stone won't hesitate to kill his own people."

On the other end of the line Don ran a hand through his hair as he listened. He always worried about the safety of his younger brother and knowing that there was no way to protect him from half-way across the country frustrated Don. "Where are you Charlie?"

"Outside the farm. I'm going to act as a distraction. I'll park my car on the road in front of the house and draw their attention. I'll be completely safe." Even to his own ears the words sounded hollow. Both men knew that there was no such thing as being safe when it came to dealing with an armed suspect.

"I don't really like the sound of that Chuck." Don tried to be light with his words. There was no use in letting his brother know to what degree that he was worried. "Isn't there any local agents that you can talk to and get them to understand?"

"Colby tried. They didn't want to listen."

"I'm going to call the agent in charge. Let me see what I can get done." Don was sure that he could make the other agent listen to the reasons against a raid. "Be careful, I'll get you back up as soon as possible."

"Tell them that Cody and Rachel are already on the property. I don't want them getting caught in a crossfire." Charlie began slowing down and pulled to a stop near the driveway. He flipped on the hazard lights and opened the car door. Still talking on the phone, he now started making wild arm gestures towards the back driver's side tire. Hopefully anyone looking out at him would think that he was angry over a flat tire. He reached back into the car and popped the trunk latch. "I'm going to let you go so I can start my world famous tire changing act. Tell them to hurry."

Charlie flipped his phone shut and began pulling out the parts of the jack. He took a quick glance at the house that was set back from the road. No one was visible and there was no sign of the two agents.

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Since leaving the car and Charlie, Colby and Rachel moved slowly along the tree line. The setting sun helped conceal the two as they tried to stick close to the ever-lengthening shadows.

They had reached the first outbuilding when the backdoor to the farmhouse opened and a young girl exited. She carried a bucket and entered what appeared to be a chicken house.

Looking at Colby, Rachel leaned close to speak to him. "I say we grab her and ask her, they won't expect her back in for a while."

Thinking quickly Colby weighed their alternatives. "I'll let you go in and I'll watch the door."

"If I don't get anywhere, I'll motion for you to come in. She'll be used to a strong male presence. If you speak to her in a demanding tone she would more than likely tell you." Rachel quickly slipped away towards the small building.

Opening the door and stepping inside, Rachel's eyes adjusted to the dim gloom of the coop. The clucking of the chickens as they fed masked the sound of the door. The girl's back was to the door as she worked at gathering eggs and she did not see Rachel's approach.

"Excuse me," Rachel reached out and touched the girl. The girl startled, almost dropping the bucket. "I'm sorry I scared you, I need your help."

The girl looked hesitant. Rachel continued on. "Prophet Stone came to visit today, didn't he?"

Nodding slightly, the girl glanced towards the door. Perhaps thinking about making a dash towards it or hoping that someone would come.

Rachel continued, smiling and trying to put her at ease. "I know Prophet Stone, I am his wife. My name is Rachel. " It was all the woman could do to control the shudder that she felt when saying the words. "I made him angry and he took our baby to punish me. I worried that my little girl needs to eat."

Shaking her head, the youth spoke. "Momma fed her, she was real hungry."

The desire to rush to the house and grab her child was hard to hold back. "I'm so thankful for your mother, but I hate to burden her with my work. Do you think you could help me? I think if I got her and took care of her, Prophet Stone would realize that I do love her and he wouldn't be mad at me any more." Rachel tried to look hopeful. "I don't want him to know I'm here just yet, when he gets mad he scares me."

"Prophet Stone scares me too. Momma doesn't like me to be around him. I don't think she likes him as much as Daddy does." The young girl whispered.

"Is the Prophet in the house yet?"

"Yes, he and some others have been meeting. Momma is working on cooking supper for them. I'm doing the chores tonight."

"That's a good girl. Is the baby downstairs or upstairs?"

"Momma put her in my little brother's crib. He's big enough he don't really need it."

"Where is the crib?" Rachel spoke quickly; realizing that time was slipping by.

"Downstairs in her and Daddy's bedroom."

Rachel's mind spun, with the Prophet in the house there was no way they could get in and grab the infant. "Do you think you could bring her to me?"

The youngster thought for a moment, "Momma is busy in the kitchen. She had the other kids go upstairs, but I'm old enough to help out."

"If I waited here, you could wrap her up and bring her out. It would need to be our secret. I wouldn't want the Prophet to know until I had the chance to explain things to him. Please?"

She was hesitant, but the girl nodded. "Wait in here. I'll be back as soon as I can." With that the girl picket back up her bucket and headed out.

Once the girl vanished back into the house, Colby ducked into the shed. "How did it go?"

Rachel looked out one of the windows, glancing at the house. "The Prophet is here and so is the baby. The little girl said she would help us. She's going to sneak the baby out to us."

Colby was reluctant to believe that the girl would readily bring the baby to a stranger and he voiced his skepticism. "I'm going to move in closer to the house, I need you to cover me. If something happens I'm going in through one of the side windows, the bedroom would probably be at the back of the house." He moved to the same window and put his arm around Rachel. "If I go in, I'm going to secure the baby and then defend my position. I need to know that you'll wait for my signal before moving from here."

"I'll do whatever I need to do." Rachel's voice was firm. "I'm not going to let Stone ruin anything else. I'm worried about the children that are in the house. The little girl said she has younger siblings in there. I want to make sure we're not putting them in danger."

"Let's get our baby out first and then we'll worry about the rest. I'm heading towards the corner around from the backdoor. I'll stay put until I see or hear something." Colby pulled the door open and then hurried out and across the yard.

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Don had just spent a frustrating ten minutes on the telephone. He had finally been connected to the agent in charge. It had taken a while, because the agent was in route to the farm that Charlie had pinpointed; along with men and firepower.

The conversation had centered on Agent Pape's reluctance to believe that his arrival would signal the start of a possible massacre. "Look Agent Eppes, I'm sure you have dealt with situations before but I'm going to run this as I see fit."

"Damn it! You are going to get innocent people killed if you go riding in there acting like the cavalry. If anything happens to my agent or his family or anyone else I will make it my personal mission in life to make your life living hell!" It took a moment before Don realized that the man had hung up on him. "That son of a…"

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Charlie had pulled the spare tire out, but had drawn the line at actually changing it. It wasn't that he was unable to, but he knew that putting their source of transportation out of service would be foolish. He was bent down, examining the tire when his phone chirped. "Hello."

Don's voice instantly conveyed his intense anger. Charlie listened as Don relayed the details of the conversation he had with Agent Pape.

"So I should expect them to roll in soon?" Charlie straightened up.

"I'm afraid so. I want you out of range when those local jokers show up."

"Hold it Don. I think I just saw Colby. I saw someone move towards the house."

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Colby stood next to the house, his gun drawn. No sound was coming from inside. The door to the back porch opened. A small figure exited, with a bundle held in their arms.

Holding his breath Colby watched as the girl walked towards the chicken house. Glancing around he could see the dim outline of a car at the end of the driveway. Pulling out his cell phone he dialed Charlie's number. "Charlie," he didn't have a chance to finish when Charlie interrupted.

"Colby, the locals are coming. I see headlights!"


	15. Chapter 15

Author's notes: This is so long because it's wrapping up. One more chapter and I'll be done. That's ok, I've got two other stories battling it out in my mind for supremacy. Not sure if Robin Hood 2006 will win or if it will be CSI:NY? Watch and see!

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Colby swore into the phone and hurried to the corner of the house. Peering around the corner, he could hardly make out the outline of the car that held Charlie. "I don't see the lights yet. How far off do they look?"

"A ways, I caught a glance of them cresting a hill. It looks like a couple of miles, but there were multiple sets of lights." Charlie had put the jack back into the trunk and climbed back inside. "What do you want me to do?"

Thinking fast, Colby moved back towards the chicken house. "Drive towards them and try to block the road with your car. Get out and ditch the keys. Anything you can do to slow them down. Rachel, the baby and I will come out the same way we came in. Stay close by your phone." Flipping it shut, he rapped once on the door and ducked inside.

The dim light filtering in from the farm's yard light made the shadows very dark. He could see Rachel's form and that of the young girl. Eyes adjusting, he could see Rachel cradling the blanket covered form.

Looking up at Colby, Rachel smiled. "She's alright. I've got her almost back to sleep."

Moving close, Colby put his arm around her and spoke quietly. "Charlie said the locals are on their way. We need to get going."

As if suddenly waking, Rachel looked horror stricken. "If we don't stop them Angela and her family could be in danger!" She indicated towards the girl. "We can't leave them to face the Prophet's wrath."

"My first concern is getting you and the baby to safety."

"We need to get those children in the house out of the way of danger too. We don't have time to do both separately. We have to take them out with us."

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Charlie had started the car and had driven quickly; hoping to intercept the local force. Realizing that they were getting close, he slowed the car and pulled diagonally across the roadway. Turning off the car he tossed the keys into his computer case and set it in the back seat. He had learned that the "hide in plain sight theory" was often the most effective.

Stepping back, he waited for the cars to approach. 'I hope I can give you enough time Colby'.

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"Rachel, I'm not going to argue with you about this." Colby tried to keep his voice low. "I'm getting you and our daughter to safety and then I will help with the others."

"You know what Stone is capable of!"

"Yes, and that's why I want the two of you safe." Colby reached for her arm. "We don't have time to discuss this. I told Charlie to stall them, but he won't be able to delay them forever. We're heading back out the way we came."

The young girl, Angela, had been listening intently. Her face had taken on a slightly panicked look. "What is going to happen?"

Crouching to her level, Colby spoke reassuringly. "Nothing is going to happen to you or your family honey. I'm going to help Rachel and the baby and then I'm going to help you and your brothers and sisters."

Angela glanced rapidly to Rachel. Rachel nodded, "Trust us. Prophet Stone is an evil man and we won't leave you to him."

Standing, Colby opened the door and looked at the yard. "I don't see anything. You and the baby start back. I'll help Angela and take them in a different direction so Stone won't follow you. Once you get back to the roadway I want you to call Charlie and have him pick you up."

Before Rachel could respond, a voice was heard calling, "Angela! Angela, come here right now!"

The girl in question looked up, panic in her eyes. "That's my Daddy."

Rachel and Colby exchanged a look. Colby turned to the young girl and spoke. "Is there another door out of here?"

A shake of the head and a glance towards the door was all the answer the agent needed. The girl spoke softly, "There are the chicken doors; I can get in and out of them."

"Show me."

Leading him to the back of the small shed, Angela pointed down at a series of small doors set next to the ground. They were small, but there was the possibility that a small adult could squeeze through. "Rachel, do you think you could get through?"

"Nine months ago, yes. Right now? No."

Clearly thinking it through as he spoke, Colby looked at the young girl. "How many men are in the house with your Daddy?"

The girl thought for a moment, "With Daddy there are six."

Seemingly un-phased, Colby continued. "I want you to go through the chicken door and circle around to the front of the house and then call for your father. As soon as you can I want you to get inside the house and get your brothers and sisters. In a little bit the men inside will go outside, when that happens I want you to run up the lane to the road. There will be some men there and they are my friends. They won't let anything happen to you." He then turned to Rachel. "As soon as she's to the front of the house, you and the baby are going to head for Charlie. I told him to meet us where he dropped us off."

"Where will you be?" Rachel shifted the baby to her other arm. The infant was now sleeping soundly, her lips pursed together like a tiny rosebud.

"I'm going to make sure that you and the others have a safe passage."

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Charlie threw-up a hand to shield his eyes from the harsh glare of the headlights. The convoy of cars stopped and several agents jumped from their seats. The voice of one pissed off local agent was heard identifying the curly-hair professor.

Another door opened and Agent Pape stalked angrily towards Charlie. "What in the hell do you think you are doing Professor Eppes?"

"I'm trying to prevent bloodshed. You go rushing in and someone is going to get hurt!" Charlie thought about the other scenes he had witnessed; the savagery of the Prophet's wrath.

"Bullshit, you're doing more harm by delaying us in helping those people. I will personally see that you are charged with obstruction of justice!"

A chirp from his pocket alerted Charlie to a phone call, holding up a hand to the irate agent; Charlie saw that it was Colby. "Yes."

"Meet Rachel at the drop off, she'll have the baby. Keep them both safe. Tell the locals that a bunch of kids will be heading up the lane."

"What about you?"

"I'm the distraction. Get going now." The phone disconnected.

Charlie looked up and gave an apologetic smile, "Colby wanted me to give you a heads up. There will be a group of children coming up the lane from the farm house."

With that he reached into the back of the car and retrieved his keys. "I'll have my car out of your way in just a minute."

"Move that car and stay the hell out of our way." Pape turned and hurried back to his car.

"My pleasure," Charlie muttered under his breath. He climbed behind the wheel and started it up. He backed around and headed towards the rendezvous point.

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Colby watched from the corner of the window, waiting for Angela to disappear to the front side of the farm house. Cracking open the door; he could hear her shouts from the other side. "Now, Rachel."

Rachel looked at Colby, his muscles tense as he held his gun at the ready; preparing to cover her from any unwanted company. He looked up and met her eyes quickly. So much being left unsaid, but at the same time the look spoke louder than any words would have.

He smiled grimly at her, "I'll see you both real soon. Be careful."

"Same to you."

She slipped through the door and was gone in the darkness. "I love you." He whispered and counted to ten and exited in the other direction.

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Rachel moved as quickly as she dared. The unfamiliar earth beneath her feet threatened to trip her up as she kept to the tree line.

It seemed like only moments later when she heard the first gun shot.

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Keeping low and running in the opposite direction of Rachel, Colby scanned the area as he looked for cover. A dilapidated barn stood ahead, leaning drunkenly in the night.

He had almost made it when he heard the gun shot. The bullet hit the side of his arm, tearing a path through the upper bicep. The force sent him to his knees, the strength in his right arm suddenly gone. Gasping with the pain Colby pushed up to his feet and surged the few feet remaining into the barn. A second shot hit near him, splintering wood. Ducking behind a wooden wall he sat down heavily and quickly examined the wound. Painful and bleeding, luckily it had missed anything vital. It was only then that he realized that his gun was now lying outside in the dirt.

As the echo of the second shot was dissipating, he could hear the shouts of men's voices as they poured from the house. Placing himself near a large gap in the boards, he watched as the gun man pointed in the direction of the barn. The last to exit the house was the Prophet Stone.

Colby was not surprised to see that the man had become even more crazed. Between the disheveled look of his hair and clothes to the spastic motioning towards the barn, it would have been funny; had it not been for the five armed men looking at his hiding place.

Knowing that the longer he could hold out, the better the chances for Rachel and the children to make their separate escapes, Colby held his position and waited to see what the men would do.

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Inside the house Angela ran up the stairs to the room where her brothers and sisters had been instructed to stay. Pushing the door open, she was not surprised to see them clustered by the window looking out on the farmyard.

"Noah, grab Josepha." She spoke to a boy, no more than seven. "We need to leave the house now." Angela picked up a chubby toddler and looked at her six year old sister, Leah. "Slip your shoes on sister, we need to hurry."

Minutes later, the five children were making their way quietly down the hall towards the stairs. "I want Mama!" Cried Josepha, who was four.

"Hush. We need to be quiet. Let's pretend that we're mice and we have to be as quiet as can be." Angela gripped the hand of her little sister. "Come on, you can be my little baby mouse."

So the procession of little mice scurried down the steps and out the door. The dark night quickly blanketed them as they headed down the dirt lane leading to the road.

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Agent Pape and his men had arrived at the end of the driveway and had immediately cut their lights. Several agents with rifles stood looking at a photo of the farm as they discussed where the best place to set up might be. Others milled around, waiting nervously for something to happen.

It was one agent with a pair of night vision binoculars that spotted the children making their way up the road. Agent Pape gave orders for several men to go out and grab the children and get them to the relatively safe position of behind the cars. While the men made their move, he radioed in for additional back-up including social services. He shook his head at the stupidity of parents for putting their children at risk.

Swooping up the children, the younger ones now crying out of fear were hustled behind the vehicles. Agent Pape dismissed the notion of trying to talk to them about what had happened. After all, they were only children and wouldn't know anything.

Angela sat in the back seat of a car trying to comfort her little sister who was sobbing into her shoulder. She couldn't see the farm from her location, but she couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Taking a moment, she bent her head and sent up a fast prayer, hoping that God would see fit to help her Mommy, Daddy and the two strangers and the baby.

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The moon had risen and was giving out some light, although not enough to fully penetrate the canopy of leaves overhead. Thankfully the baby continued to sleep; the jerky motions of the fast jog providing enough swaying to rock the precious bundle. She tried to ignore the soreness and aches plaguing her body. The adrenaline coursing through her body was enough to keep her going. Each step put her baby closer to safety and that was enough for Rachel.

Reaching the edge of the tree line, Rachel waited in the shadows. Pulling out her cell phone she punched the programmed number in and waited for the person on the other end to answer.

"Rachel."

The voice of Charlie filled her ear. "Where are you?" She inquired, not seeing a vehicle.

"I parked a little ways down from where I let you off, wait I'll be there in just a moment."

It was only a minute or so until she saw the soft glow of the parking lights on the car. Leaving her cover she hurried across the short expanse of field to get to the fence. There she was met by Charlie. "Here, hold the baby." She handed over the sleeping infant.

Tentatively, Charlie accepted the child and waited for Rachel to climb over the fence. Looking down at the sleeping child, Charlie could feel a sense of relief that the baby was safe. He realized that Rachel was not climbing the fence. "Do you need a hand?" He ask, perplexed.

"Colby is back there. He will probably need back-up."

"Hold on, the locals have arrived and Colby point-blank told me to keep the two of you safe." Charlie wanted to raise his voice, but had to settle for a quieter tone. He wanted to grab her and pull her over the fence however, with a baby in arms he had to settle for the pleading tone. "Rachel, I need you to come over and help me by taking your baby. She needs you."

Tears prickled at her eyes. "Charlie, I know but I can't leave Colby. I've left him twice before and I won't do it again!" She turned to leave, hesitated for a moment and turned back to him. "I want to give her a kiss, can you bring her close to the fence."

Charlie moved nearer and Rachel reached out and touched the baby's sleeping form. Placing a tender kiss on her forehead, she murmured something quietly under her breath, as if for the baby's ears only.

"Take care of her Charlie." Rachel turned towards the woods and set out at a slow jog.

Charlie walked back to the car and spoke quietly to the sleeping child; his words more for his own benefit than for that of the child. "Do worry sweetie, your mommy will be back."

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The men watching the barn stood talking for several minutes. Colby could not hear them, but it was obvious that they were planning something. Deciding that he needed to keep their attention on him and not on the others, Colby tried to think of a way out of his predicament. His thoughts were disturbed by the voice of Stone calling to him.

"I know you're in the barn sinner! The force of God's wrath will rain down on you. Do you want that innocent child you have with you to pay the price of your deception? Let my child go!"

'Thank God,' Colby thought. 'They think the baby is with me.' Moving closer to the barn door he yelled back. "Your baby? You stole this baby from his mother. You have no heir Stone, God's plan is for your line to die out like the blighted vine that it is! Your attempt to force Rachel to marry you failed, trying to claim her baby has failed and you and your followers are going to find life behind bars to be far from the Promised Land that you claim to represent!"

Stone's face grew stony, he recognized the voice; the FBI agent who had ruined him destiny. The men surrounding him looked unsure as they heard Colby's words. "You will pay for your blasphemy and your evil works." He turned to the men, "I want you to cover all of the exits, do not let him escape alive. I will be back."

Retreating to the house, the followers looked at one another. They had so readily voice their devotion to Stone, but now faced with the reality of the situation they were unsure. One finally spoke, "Tim, do you think this is the right path?"

"I don't know, but I have heard that to turn against the Prophet is to find oneself at odds with all."

Another spoke, "I for one will stand with the Prophet as long as he is leading."

It was his committal to Stone that held the others in their position; no man wanting to be the one to step away from the path. The back door slammed and Stone returned. "Surround the barn."

The men quickly moved around the barn, waiting and listening to their prophet.

He held a broom that had several kitchen towels wrapped around it, something dripped from it. Smiling, Stone yelled. "I tried to purify you with fire once and was thwarted by those who serve the evil oppressor. This time I will not fail, your death will serve to strengthen our cause." Stone touched the broom to the lighter he had lit.

Colby looked around the barn; it was a pile of tinder. "What about the baby Stone?"

"God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, at the moment that Abraham would have plunged the knife, and an angel appeared and offered up a ram. God will provide!" Stone moved towards the barn, the broom burning brightly. "Prepare to join your master in Hell."

A loud cry of "Stop" caused Stone to pause. He turned and saw a woman exit from the shadows, her hair fanning around her; reflecting golden in the light from the fire held in his hand. It was then that he saw the gun held at her side.

"Arner Stone, you are under arrest for kidnapping and murder. Drop that and put your hands up."

Smiling at her, like a parent smiles at a naughty child, Stone shook his head. "No Rachel, I need to show God my devotion and he will reward my faithfulness." He tossed the broom and the flames began to greedily lick up the side of the barn. "The sinner shall perish."

"I won't let you do that." Rachel looked at the barn, knowing that Colby was inside. It was a barking sound, muffled and it was when the pain hit that she realized too quickly that she had been shot. She turned towards Stone as she crumbled; a small gun in his hand.

"You will be a martyr Rachel and your name will be exalted as a saint in the church." Stone smiled down at her still form.

The shout came from the man that burst through the door. He rolled onto the ground and in a fluid motion he retrieved his fallen gun and had brought it to bear on the prophet. Stone turned and was bringing up the gun when the prone man fired. Two shots hit the prophet and he collapsed in a heap.

Picking himself up from the ground, Colby rushed over to the Prophet and kicked the gun away from his hand. It didn't take a medical examiner to know that Stone would never preach again. The first shot had struck center mass, the second was a head shot; a third eye that had materialized above the other two. Spinning around, Colby turned to Rachel who was breathing heavily, blood pooling beneath her.

.The light from the blazing barn pushing back the darkness; lighting everyone and everything, allowing him to see everything clearly. Rushing to her side, Colby pulled off his shirt and pressed down over the wound. Words spilled from his mouth as he applied pressure; words of love, encouragement, pleading and begging

Rachel smiled at him, she tried to speak, but she didn't have the air to make the words. Her vision was growing dim, gray encroaching around the edges.

"Damn it Rachel, you stay with me. Don't you leave me here. Come on honey, our little girl needs her mommy. I need you Rachel. Come on, we have a little girl who wants us to hold her and give her a name." Colby's voice grew frantic as he felt the blood flowing between his fingers. He was only dimly aware of men in riot gear rushing into the farm yard, others calling his name.

She looked up and smiled again, a deep breath and several words. "Call her Grace." The smile slowly faded and she slipped away from him.

Author: Review button is right down there!


	16. Chapter 16

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Charlie could see the barn burning as he pulled up to FBI vehicles parked along side the road. Several ambulances had arrived and he immediately sought out care for the sleeping infant. He knew that handing her over to a skilled medic was right thing to do.

Finding Agent Pape and getting an update proved to be more challenging. Sighting the need to secure the scene as the reason for keeping Charlie back, Pape was unwilling to allow Charlie access to his friends. All calls to Colby and Rachel were going unanswered.

Retreating to the car, Charlie phoned Don with an update. After hearing Charlie's story, Don agreed to call Agent Pape again and try to pave the way for Charlie. Several fire trucks pulled into the farm, even though the barn had already burned to the ground.

It was almost an hour later when Pape approached Charlie and let him venture towards the farm. Passing several men in handcuffs, Charlie breathed a sigh of relief. It was obvious that Colby and Rachel were tied up with questioning the suspects.

Flood lights had been set up in the yard, casting a bright glow in the night. Charlie glanced around, looking for Colby or Rachel. Seeing an agent, Charlie inquired. The local agent looked stricken as he pointed in the direction of where the barn had stood.

It was then that Charlie could make out the figure of a man beside a blanket covered form. A dozen feet away, another body was shrouded. Hurrying over he could see Colby sitting on the ground, speaking softly to himself.

Charlie's footsteps slowed, he saw the blackened pool of blood beneath the first blanket. Approaching warily, Charlie spoke first and then put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Colby, its Charlie."

The burly agent appeared not to notice the weight on his shoulder. The words he had been speaking trailed off. Charlie could see a temporary bandage, dark with blood. Colby's clothing stained with blood and dirt. Kneeling beside the two, Charlie spoke again. "I'm so sorry Colby. She wouldn't stay, she wanted to get back and help you."

Colby's hand was grasping Rachel's, the blanket between them; a physical barrier between the living and the dead. Not looking at Charlie, Colby spoke, his voice deep and gravely with emotion. "She was going to give him the chance to surrender and he shot her." His voice began to break.

"Colby, you're hurt. I really think that you should have the paramedics look at your arm."

Turning and looking at his arm, Colby seemed to be viewing it for the first time. "It's just a scratch. I need to stay with Rachel. She doesn't like being left alone." He wiped a hand against his grimy face, "I need to call her parents. What am I going to tell them Charlie? How can I explain this?"

The despair in his voice was enough to make Charlie's own eyes prickle with tears. Maintaining the position of his hand on Colby's shoulder, Charlie forced eye contact with his friend. "Colby, we need to get you to the hospital. They have already taken the baby there."

"The baby!" It was as if he had forgotten. "She's ok?"

"Rachel gave her to me and told me to take care of her. I tried to get Rachel to come with me, but she said you needed her help. The baby is doing fine, but they took her to the hospital to check her out. She was asleep when I left her."

"Grace."

"I'm sorry, what Colby?" Charlie was confused.

"Grace. Rachel wanted to name her Grace." Colby let loose of Rachel's hand and gently caressed it. "I thought that I could get her to marry me. Grace needs a mom and a dad." He stood up, Charlie following him. "What am I going to do Charlie?"

Charlie pulled him into a hug. Colby clinging to him like a drowning man as the tears began. "We're here for you Colby. It will be ok." The two men stood together; one drawing strength and other providing it as agents, firefighters and others moved around them trying to make sense over what had transpired.

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Charlie was finally able to convince Colby to leave Rachel's body and seek out the medical attention that he needed. They arrived at the hospital and Colby was shuttled from the emergency room and then into a conference room where he was met by Agent Pape and others.

Walking the halls, Charlie had called Don to let him know what had happened. Don had told Charlie that he would be taking the first available flight out; Colby would need the support from his friends. Charlie had also seen Rachel's parents. The shock was written all over their faces as they were led towards the room where their daughter's body had been taken.

Charlie was starting his sixth outdated magazine when Colby exited the room. With a raised voice Colby spoke to someone within the room. "I've answered all of your questions. I'm going to see my daughter." The door swung shut and Colby noticed Charlie. "I want to see my baby."

Jumping up Charlie tossed the magazine back on the table. "I think they took her back to the nursery."

"Will you come with me? I think I just need a friendly face. Pape seems to think that I shot Stone out of revenge."

"Don's coming out. I'm sure he can help get things settled." The two men started towards the hospital's nursery. Both lost in their own thoughts.

They were ready to enter when the door opened and Paul and Renee Willons walked out. Seeing Colby, Renee began to cry and she rushed to him and enveloped him in a hug. After getting her emotions back into check, she drew back. "I'm sorry Colby. I know your hurting too; I could see you loved her even if she was afraid to love you back."

Nodding his head, Colby choked back his own grief. "I hope she knew how much I cared."

"She did Colby. At least we have a little bit of her still with us. We have the baby. They told us Rachel named her Grace."

"Yes. We didn't decide on a middle name though." Colby looked at the baby sleeping in the other room. He was again lost in thought.

"We are going back home to make funeral arrangements; do you want to go with us?" Paul placed a steadying hand on Colby's shoulder.

"I think you would know better about what she would want." Colby said quietly. "There was so much that I didn't know yet."

Renee looked at him, "It's not about how much, but how deeply. Colby remember that we consider you a part of our family because of Rachel and Grace. You will always be a part of us."

The agent turned and hugged the smaller woman fiercely. Charlie slipped away quietly to let the three of them share in their grief.

Author's note:

Hope you don't hate me much...but come on Colby couldn't get married and settle down...he's too hot. A little more to go.


	17. Chapter 17

Author's notes: Only one more chapter left, I've started fleshing out my next story. It is an AU CSI:NY, I think those of you that are fans will like it. Anyway, hope those of you that were sad with me killing off poor Rachel will forgive me. It was a tough decision, but it worked best for Colby's character.

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The days before the funeral passed in a surreal fog. Colby had helped the Willons' family plan for Rachel's funeral and they had made the decision to wait several additional days to allow for her friends to arrive from California. In addition, Don, David and Megan had flown to Illinois to help support Colby.

The day of the funeral was bright and sunny, 'too nice of a day to bury a loved one' thought Megan as she stood towards the back of the throng of mourners around the grave. As the minister spoke of Rachel's dedication to the pursuit of justice and the love of her newborn daughter, Megan watched her friend. Colby sat with the family, holding the infant closely. His eyes would often lower to gaze down at his daughter sleeping in his arms.

A final prayer was said and with the chorused "amen", the crowd began to separate into smaller groups. The family stood talking to those who had come forward to pay their respects. Others began to drift towards the waiting vehicles, planning to return to the Willons farm where a luncheon was to be served.

It was sometime later, back at the farm that Megan saw Colby again. He had walked outside and was sitting quietly by himself. Feeling that he might want some support, Megan went over and sat beside him. "How are you holding up?" She asked in a concerned tone.

Colby smiled wearily," Fine thanks." He felt grateful for his friends' presence.

"Grace asleep?"

"No, her Grandma has a firm hold on her. Everyone wants to see the baby."

"Have you decided when you and Grace will be coming back to California?"

"I'm not sure." He hesitated, unsure if he should burden Megan with the weight of his decision. "I've been doing a lot of thinking to do about it." He pulled an envelope from his suit pocket. "Rachel left me a letter. She wrote it a couple of days before the baby was born. It is almost like she knew something was going to happen." He handed the contents of the envelope to Megan. "Read it."

Megan quickly read through the letter, a little embarrassed being privy to Rachel's private words. As she came to the end she looked up at Colby, "You realize that as the father, it is your choice."

"I know. But, I've been thinking that maybe Rachel was right; that it would be the best for everyone involved." Colby turned, not wanting Megan to see the unshed tears in his eyes.

"It's been a couple of really emotional days Colby." Megan put her hand on his shoulder, leaving it there for comfort. "I would suggest waiting a while and then making this decision. There is too much at stake to rush into something that would only cause more hurt for this family."

Brushing at his eyes with the back of his hand Colby nodded. "I know. I'm afraid that the longer I wait, the harder the decision will be. After all, what does a guy like me know about raising a child?"

"Colby, no one goes into parenting knowing everything." Megan smiled lightly. "Besides, I think you would be a great Dad."

"I just can't see being able to work as an agent and be a single parent to a child. Christ, I can't even keep a plant alive." Colby tipped his head back and squeezed his eyes shut. "I think that my best option is to follow Rachel's wishes and let her sister Roxanne raise it. Rachel mentioned in her letter that Roxanne and Pete found out last year they couldn't have children. Pete mentioned something about adoption, but they know they will have to wait a long time for an infant."

"Colby, are you sure? There are plenty of single parents that work for the agency." Megan felt she needed to make him think about all the alternatives.

"We work in a dangerous field Megan. What happens if I get killed? Grace would grow up without not only a mother but also a father." Colby looked back towards the house. "I'm planning on telling them tonight. They can find a lawyer and get the paperwork to me in California. I'll plan on flying out with you guys in the morning." His voice was crackling with emotion.

Pulling her friend into a supportive hug, Megan spoke softly into his ear. "Just make sure that this is right for you."

Colby felt as if he was being torn in two. One part of him wanted to grab the baby and hold her tightly and the other realized that the best thing for her was to let her go. Squeezing Megan tightly he replied, the tears that were now springing from his eyes hidden from her. "It's bigger than just me. I have to do right by that little girl." He pulled away gently and wiped his eyes, uncaring if Megan saw this weaker side of him.

"Would you like me to wait and ride back into town with you?" Megan was reluctant to let her friend face such a hard decision on his own. "I think Don and the guys were planning on heading back to the motel soon."

"No, but thanks Megan. I think this is something I need to do on my own."

"One favor, when you get back to the motel let me know. I'd hate to be up all night worrying about you." Megan gave him a questioning look, "Okay?"

"I will. I don't know what time it will be."

"No problem, I'm the type that falls right back to sleep." Megan smiled at Colby. "You are a good man Colby Granger. That baby is lucky to have such a daddy."

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There was a pounding on the door and for a moment Megan couldn't process what was going on. Sitting upright, she glanced at the clock; the numbers glowed brightly showing that it was 1:23 a.m. It suddenly hit her, Colby. Rushing to the door she looked out the peephole and was greeted by the sight of the rugged agent. She pulled open the door and Colby stumbled in. It only took a moment for her to realize that he was drunk. "Colby!"

"Hey Megan." He made his way to the bed and sat down as she shut the door. "Sorry it's so late."

"It's not a big deal. Where have you been?" She had left the farm around 4 p.m. and had assumed that she would probably see Colby returning by 8 p.m.

"There's a bar around the corner. I got back and decided a drink was what I needed." His words were slightly slurred. "One was good and so I had another. That one was good, so I kept them coming."

"How did it go telling them about your decision?" Megan needed to know so that she could say the right things for him.

He sniffed slightly, "They were so fucking happy Megan. They were crying and smiling, the pain of losing Rachel and the joy of knowing that Grace would be staying was so over whelming. They were thanking me and asking me if I was sure. Each time I said yes I felt like I was getting stabbed in the heart. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do." By this time the tears were running down Colby's face and his words were becoming hard to understand.

Megan sat down beside him and wrapped her arms around him to comfort him. She rubbed his back as he continued to sob in her arms. Megan spoke quiet, reassuring words to him; trying to help diminish his pain and knowing that mere words would never be enough.

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She woke up before the alarm and realized that her arm was asleep. Opening her eyes, Megan saw that Colby was still holding onto her. She couldn't remember sleep overtaking them. They had sat together on the bed for over an hour while Colby had cried. It must have been at some point that they had both drifted off.

The alarm wouldn't be going off for another hour, so Megan did the best to rearrange herself into a comfortable position. She closed her eyes and let herself fall back asleep.


	18. Chapter 18

Author's notes: This is it. I'll be back to look at Colby's life post-Rachel, but right now CSI:NY is calling. I've got most of the outline done and hope to start writing this week. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Your comments and encouragement is unbelievably helpful.

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The chirp of the alarm invaded the dream Megan had been having. As she awoke, she tried to grab on to the remnants of her dream but it slipped away. She lay there with her eyes closed and she could sense that her bed was now empty. Opening her eyes confirmed it. Colby had left the room.

She jumped in the shower and took a fast rinse. After dressing, Megan walked down to the lobby to grab a cup of coffee. She wasn't surprised to see Don, Charlie and David seated around one of the small tables. "Good morning gentlemen."

David smiled back, "We were wondering how long it was going to take you to get down here. I didn't think you would want to miss the cinnamon rolls." The day before the agents had discovered the continental breakfast included the homemade rolls and Megan had declared herself addicted to them.

"I would have been down sooner but I had a visitor in the night."

"Ahhhhh, making an impression on the local boys?" Don teased lightly.

"No, a California boy." Megan took a sip of coffee.

"Colby?" David looked serious.

"Yes, he spoke to Rachel's family last night about Grace." Megan took a small bite of the roll, savoring the cinnamon flavor. "He's decided it would be best if Rachel's sister raised the baby. It seems that Rachel left him a letter that spelled out her desire to give the baby up, she was planning on trying to move ahead with her life; without Colby and without the baby."

"Wow," Charlie spoke slowly under his breath. "That's rough. I know Colby was hoping for them to all go back to LA and be a family."

"He was," Megan replied. "But with Rachel being gone and then finding out that she didn't see how they could make a relationship work, he was really thrown for a loop. He went out last night after telling the family and he got drunk. I'm sure he's still sleeping it off."

David shook his head, "I'm worried about how he will be to work with. It was bad enough when Rachel cut off contact with him; now he's going to be battling a ghost."

Charlie looked up; he could see the concern written over all of the agent's faces. "I think it's easier to deal with something when you know it is final. Before Colby knew there was a chance, now" his voice trailed off.

"I agree with Charlie. I think if we give Colby space and let him know we are there for him; he should be alright." Don spoke to fill the awkward silence after Charlie had spoke.

"Agreed." Megan chimed in. She pushed back her chair, "I'm going to go knock on his door and let him know it's time to get up. He's got a rental car, so why don't you three ride to the airport together and I'll make sure he is there to catch our flight."

"I can do that if you want Megan." David offered.

"That's alright David. Since he came to me last night, he won't have to feel like he needs to hide anything because he told me everything last night." She dumped her empty cup and plate. "I'll see you later guys." She grabbed a fresh cup of coffee and left the room.

Don reflected on her vanishing form, "Well, at least we have a profiler on our side. I don't think he'll be able to hid much from her."

Charlie agreed, "I'm afraid it's going to be a long trip back for Colby."

"We are flying non-stop," Don replied.

Shaking his dark, curly hair Charlie spoke, "That's not the trip I'm worried about."

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Megan stood outside Colby's room and knocked lightly. "Colby, it's Megan and I have coffee." She could hear him moving around inside and a moment later he opened the door.

His eyes were still puffy with lack of sleep, crying and drinking. Colby's voice was gravely, "Hey Megan."

"I brought you some coffee. I figure you would need it."

"Thanks."

"Our flight leaves at 11:40 a.m., will you be ready?"

"Yes. I'll meet you there." He took a sip of the coffee.

"Actually, I'll need a lift. The others are riding together."

"So it's beginning already."

"What?"

"The don't leave Colby alone plan. I'm not a child Megan, I'll be alright." Colby turned to where his suitcases were lying on the bed.

"Colby, we don't think you need supervision. This is what friends do for one another; we support each other. We want you to know that we love you."

He tossed in the clothes that had been in the dresser and flipped the lid down. His movements were slow and deliberate. His shoulders hitched as he took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

Megan walked over and put her arm around his shoulder. "Colby, it's alright. Just remember we'll be there for you."

Colby turned and gave Megan a hug. "Thanks."

Megan returned the hug, her mind whirling as she thought to herself. '_I'll be there for you Colby. Forever if you let me.'_


	19. post script

Author's note: Sorry, this little add on hit me when I opened a Christmas card. I thought maybe I should leave Colby feeling a little better about everything. Don't worry, someday Grace will be making an appearance again.

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The manila envelop had arrived in the office mail that morning. When he saw the return address, a smile spread over his features. Grabbing his letter opener, he carefully slid it along the edge. He pulled out several pictures and a short letter.

He read through it, laughing quietly in several places. Finishing the letter he sat it down and picked up the photos. He gazed at them; his eyes clouding over momentarily. Mentally shaking himself, he reached for the frame on his desk and slid one of the current photo in the place of the previous. He returned it back in its spot and opened a drawer; putting the letter in a file that was thick with other pages.

Shutting the drawer he looked up and saw Megan standing beside his cubicle wall, her arms resting on the top of it. "Letter from Roxanne?"

"Yes, Grace has cut her first tooth." Colby handed Megan the picture frame.

"Cute," Megan smiled and looked at her friend. His eyes were serious as he looked at the photo in Megan's hand. "It looks like she's doing well."

Colby nodded, "She has her four month check-up next week." A trace of longing was evident in his voice.

"She's a lucky little girl to have such a wonderful Daddy."

"I think Pete's going to be a great Dad, he's already talking about signing her up for little league."

Megan shook her head, "I mean you Colby. What you did took a lot of courage and love. Don't sell yourself short." She sat the frame back down and motioned towards the door with his head. "It's lunch time, let's go grab a bite."

He stood slowly and took a deep breath. "That sounds great." He hesitated for a moment. "Thanks Megan. I've really appreciated what you've done the last several months."

Punching him lightly in the arm Megan smiled at him. "Like I said before, it's what friends do. Now come on, I'm starving."

"You buying?"

"Forget it Granger, I'm not _that_ good of a friend."


End file.
